Ernest Picard

Louis Joseph Ernest Picard (24 December 1821 – 13 May 1877) was a French politician.

As Ollivier moved towards the government standpoint, Picard, one of the members of the group known as Les Cinq, veered more to the left.

At that time the Molé met in the Café Procope in the Rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie, the oldest coffee house in Paris.

In January 1871 he accompanied Jules Favre to Versailles to arrange the capitulation of Paris, and the next month he became minister of the interior in Adolphe Thiers's cabinet.

On his return to Paris he resumed his seat in the Left centre, and in 1875 became life senator.

1871 engraving of Ernest Picard, member of the government and the national defense of Paris
Caricature of Ernest Picard