Toby Mongrain, an Osage man who served as a scout for the United States Cavalry, is depicted here in a full-length seated portrait on an albumen cabinet card produced by J. C. Avery of Sedan, Kansas, circa the 1890s. Mongrain wears a dark military frock coat with prominent fringed epaulettes at both shoulders and a row of large buttons down the front, garments consistent with cavalry issue of the period and recorded as earned during his 1868 scouting service. A military-style forage cap sits on his head, and pendant earrings are visible at both ears, marking a combination of military dress and personal adornment that speaks directly to his identity across two worlds.

His hands rest folded in his lap over a boldly striped trade blanket that drapes across both legs and falls to the straw-covered studio floor. His expression is direct and composed, his gaze level with the camera. A painted backdrop behind him depicts foliage, a balustrade, and a sailboat on open water.

Toby Mongrain was among a group of Osage scouts recruited by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer ahead of the Battle of the Washita in November 1868, providing tracking expertise during the Southern Plains campaign. The reverse bears the Avery studio imprint in orange script with the notation "Duplicates from this Negative at a reduced rate."