An unidentified infant seated barefoot atop a draped studio prop is the subject of this half-plate ambrotype produced by Gutekunst and Brother of Philadelphia, active at 706 Arch Street from 1854 to 1860. The process and case patent date of July 4, 1854 embossed on the mat place the image firmly within that period of operation. The plate is housed in a substantial thermoplastic hinged case with an elaborately embossed scrollwork and floral cartouche cover and a gold-toned oval mat with rope-and-bead borders.

The child wears a loose white chemise-style garment pulled wide at the shoulders, leaving the arms largely bare, with both bare legs extended forward over the edge of the prop. The studio support is covered in a bold black-and-white damask fabric featuring large acanthus and floral repeats. The child's dark curly hair frames a direct, unsmiling gaze toward the camera.

Frederick Gutekunst Jr., born 1831 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, opened his Arch Street gallery with his brother Lewis in 1856 after early experiments with the daguerreian process, and went on to become one of Philadelphia's most prominent portrait photographers of the nineteenth century.

The mat bears embossed text reading "AMBROTYPE / COPYRIGHTED 1854" on one corner and "PATENTED / JULY 4TH 1854" on the opposing corner.