Carte-de-visite portrait of Alexander II, Emperor of Russia. He is standing with his hands in his pockets, wearing a long coat and hat. His favourite dog, a red setter named Milord, is lying at his feet to the left. There is a painted backdrop of the sea behind him. Alexander II was Emperor of Russia from 1855 until his assassination in 1881. The Emancipation of the Serfs and the sale of Alaska to the United States were among the notable events of his reign.