An unidentified albino man with striking long white hair flowing past his shoulders is the subject of this albumen carte-de-visite, produced by J.W. Petty's Art Gallery at 161 Poydras Street in New Orleans. The subject's appearance, combined with the deliberate presentation of a cross-guard sword, suggests a sideshow or entertainment context, consistent with the seller's notation referencing a sword swallower. Poydras Street was a well-established commercial thoroughfare in New Orleans, and J.W. Petty operated there during the latter half of the nineteenth century.

The subject is seated and faces the camera with a direct, stern expression, holding a long slender sword diagonally across his body with both hands. He wears a dark three-piece suit, a white shirt, and a wide bow tie. A fringed textile, possibly a shawl or decorative prop, drapes over his right arm and across his lap.

The man's pale complexion and entirely white long hair are consistent with albinism, and his presentation with a sword as a deliberate prop reinforces a performance identity rather than a conventional portrait sitting. The stark frontality of the pose and the intensity of his gaze contribute to a carefully constructed public image.

The reverse bears a blue rubber stamp reading: J.W. Petty's Art Gallery, 161 Poydras St., N.O.