These two portraits of the Emperor Napoleon III of France and his wife, Empress Eugenie (Armand Constant Melincourt-Lefebrve, 1855) hang above the Muses staircase in the Foreign Office. The emperor is wearing uniform and the grand cordon of the Legion of Honour. The Empress, who was known for her beauty and exquisite taste, is in court dress and wearing the black and white ribbon of the Order of Malta.