Original 2.5 x 4 carte-de-visite three-quarter length portrait of Hugo by Bertall & Cie of Paris, circa 1870, signed below the image in black ink with a six word untranslated sentiment in French. Light scattered marks and speckling to the image, mild silvering to darker areas of the image, a few brushes to the sentiment, and mounting remnants and surface loss to the reverse, otherwise fine condition. Napoleon III declared Hugo a traitor in 1855, forcing him to leave in exile, and he did not return until the proclamation of the Third Republic in 1870. A great portrait of the author upon his triumphant homecoming. RR Auction COA.
