Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a French scientist, chemist and physicist by training, and a pioneer of microbiology. In 1885, his discovery of the rabies vaccine earned Pasteur worldwide acclaim and numerous awards.
In 1888, the Académie des Sciences proposed the creation of an establishment to pursue research in microbiology: the Institut Pasteur, which still exists today.
This portrait was published at the time of his death, in 1895.