Achille Devéria taught drawing and lithography to his son Théodule Devéria, and father and son collaborated on a family portrait album from 1853 until Achille's death. They applied ink wash to several of the portraits in the album, possibly in preparation for printing lithographs from the photographs. This image is an example of one of the photographs that has been enhanced with ink. It has been printed very lightly, an effect that softens the portrait of Achille, who looks somberly at the camera, his clothes shrouding his gaunt body. The application of the ink is sketchy, but it adds a texture to the background that highlights the figure.