Under the Second Empire in France, Cordier received several assignments in North Africa and there he completed scientific busts that were just as much works of art. His busts in silver or gilt bronze, onyx and coloured marble are delicate gems, reflecting Cordier's interest in other civilizations, most notably African. The Musee d'Orsay in Paris has organized an unprecedented international exhibition of Cordier's work, highlighting seventy-five sculptures and approximately forty ethnographic photographs. Filled with several texts on his life and work compiled by the exhibition's organizers, this book was created and based on the research by Jeanine Durand-Revillon for the Ecole du Louvre in 1980.