A portrait of a child? or an emperor?

The portrait is so modern that it is rendered timeless, showing no clear imperial sign. The result, simple and modest, was renamed L'Enfant au Chien, a name it retained after the fall of Napoleon III, and it was under this title that it was reproduced in small copies by the Manufacture de Sèvres.

By calling on Carpeaux, a sculptor of everyday life, the imperial couple ensured their longevity and proximity to the public. The prince was also well aware of the role he had to fulfill, and already signed some of these plaster casts under the name "Napoleon IV".

Model of a grenadier executed by the Prince Impérial in Carpeaux's studio,
photomechanical print, part of the collection 
Un siècle d'histoire de France par l'estampe, 1770-1870,
vol.148, Vinck collection.
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France,
Département Estampes et photographie,
RESERVE FT 4-QB-370 (148)