Stereoviews of the French Second Empire, ca. 1855-1870

Stereoviews of the French Second Empire, ca. 1855-1870. "...From 1848-1870 the French government was headed by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, first as President of the Republic and then as the Emperor Napoleon III. To the astonishment of many (and to the dismay of some) he succeeded in reestablishing the political system of his uncle, the first Napoleon. During this period, known as the Second Empire, there were many changes in France and in French society. Some of these, particularly the more concrete examples, are documented in the stereoviews produced during that time. The rebuilding of Paris is one of the major projects mirrored in these images."