The son of a painter, a painter, and the son of a soldier, a soldier - two portraits

Eugène Louis-Gabriel Isabey (1803-1886), dressed here in imitation of Mamluk costume, was the son of artist Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Bouchet and Isabey met during the 1780s when both were apprentices in David's studio and became lifelong friends. Bouchet exhibited individual, full-length portraits of all four of Isabey’s children at the Paris Salon of 1810. The youngest, seven-year-old Eugène, would go on to an art career which surpassed even that of his father's; appointed court painter to Louis-Philippe, he was awarded the Légion d’honneur in 1832. During a long career, he painted landscapes, genre scenes, and historical subjects, but was best-known for his marine paintings. He was also a respected teacher.

Eugène Louis-Gabriel Isabey, by Louis-André-Gabriel Bouchet, 1810.

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Achille Deban de Laborde (1808-1888), later Baron Dedeban de Laborde, wears a miniature version of the uniform of the 8th Hussars that would have been worn by the father he never knew, the baron Jean-Baptiste Deban de Laborde. Portrayed during the Bourbon Restoration, the eight-year-old boy, the son of a Napoleonic colonel who had been killed at the battle of Wagram in 1809, is surrounded by his father’s military awards, notably his ceremonial sword and the badge of the Légion d’honneur hanging at upper left. Achille would also ultimately rise to the rank of colonel, as a member of the 4th Cuirassiers.

Achille Deban de Laborde, by Alexandre-Jean Dubois-Drahonet, 1817.

The ceremonial saber awarded to his father by Napoléon - then still First Consul - for his performance as squadron leader during the Battle of
Marengo is inscribed "Maringo [sp] 26 Mai 1800". (There seems to be some confusion, as the battle was fought on 14 June of that year.)

His father's badge of the Légion d’honneur is at bottom.

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Louis-André-Gabriel Bouchet (1759, Paris - 7 July 1842, Paris), French history and portrait painter, a pupil of Jacques-Louis David. He won the prix de Rome in 1797, and continued to exhibit until 1819. In 1807 he painted a portrait of the Emperor Napoléon as a pendant to one of the Empress Joséphine by Robert Lefèvre.

Alexandre-Jean Dubois-Drahonet (1791, Paris - 30 August 1834, Versailles), French portrait painter. A student and disciple of Ingres, he first exhibited at the Salon in 1822. In addition to portraiture, he also executed a great number of sketches of various national and military costumes, a commission from King William IV, some of which are included in the British Royal Collection at Windsor. And he also completed work for the French king, Charles X.