Louis Delpérier

Born in 1954, Louis Delpérier developed an early passion for military history, which inspired him to draw soldiers of the Second Empire during a significant part of his schooling … A jurist then Doctor of History, he completed a teaching career that allowed him to carry out other activities aimed at strengthening the link between the army and nation. A graduate of the IHEDN and a former reserve officer, he is the author of a dozen books, including La Garde impériale de Napoléon III (The Imperial Guard of Napoleon III) or La Cavalerie Légère 1845-1915 (The Light Cavalry 1845-1915) published by Editions du Canonnier, as well as some 160 articles devoted to the French Army of the 19th century. He has served as a consultant to museums and tourist sites, an expert in public sales and a military adviser to the cinema (Champ d’Honneur or ‘Field of Honor’ by Jean-Pierre Denis and La Commune de Paris by Peter Watkins). A completely different audience, it is true, knows him only as a ­pianist who plays boogie-woogie and traditional jazz …