A watercolour and bodycolour drawing of the Orangerie at Versailles, with the stretch of water known as the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses, and people promenading around it. The palace of Versailles is behind. Signed and dated lower left: Justin Ouvrié. 1855.

In August 1855 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert spent ten days in Paris, on the invitation of Napoleon III and his wife Eugénie. The historic state visit was intended to celebrate the military alliance between Britain and France in the Crimean War, and followed a visit by the imperial couple to Windsor in April that year. The party stayed at the château of Saint-Cloud, to the west of Paris, which was later destroyed in the Franco-Prussian War. On 21 August they visited the palace of Versailles, exploring the gardens and apartments.

Justin Ouvrié worked with Adrien Dauzats on Baron Taylor's Voyages Pittoresques et romantiques dans l'ancienne France, a series of lithographs of important French historical and topographical sites. He painted an oil painting of the same subject, signed and dated 1855 (Christie's, London, 25 June 1998, lot 176). The Empress owned several of his paintings.