A man in full Zouave-style costume stands in a confident full-length pose within an arched vignette in this cabinet card by Wm. W. Colebaugh, Photographer, No. 19 Federal Street, Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, dating to the 1860s or 1870s. The arched format and painted landscape backdrop are characteristic of the period, and the elaborate costume suggests either a military association with one of the many Zouave units that served during the Civil War or a theatrical or ceremonial context.

The subject wears a braided jacket with decorative button trim along the front opening, a wrapped sash at the waist, voluminous gathered trousers, and wrapped leggings over low shoes. A flat-topped fez sits on his head. He has a full mustache and holds a curved saber lowered in his right hand and a straight sword or cane in his left, standing squarely facing the camera with a composed expression.

Zouave uniforms, modeled on French North African infantry dress, were widely adopted by both Union and Confederate volunteer regiments during the Civil War and remained popular in drill corps and ceremonial organizations through the 1870s and beyond, making portraits in this costume a well-documented genre of the era. The subject is unidentified.

The reverse bears a purple oval stamp reading "Wm. W. Colebaugh, Photographer, No. 19 Federal Street, Allegheny City, PA."