A hand-colored albumen portrait identified on the reverse as "Great Scalah" is presented on an unmounted CDV-format card, likely produced in the 1870s or 1880s given the format and vibrant applied colorwork. The photograph captures a Native American man in a three-quarter seated pose, with no photographer's imprint visible on either face of the card.

The subject wears a bright pink headband adorned with a feather and fur ornament, his long reddish-brown braids falling over a yellow floral-patterned shirt worn beneath a blue blanket or robe draped across his torso. Vivid pink and red face paint marks both cheeks, and a disc-shaped gorget hangs at his throat. He holds a trade-gun rifle across his lap, its stock decorated with a boldly colored pink panel bearing diamond motifs, and a red tassel is visible at the left edge of the frame.

The hand-coloring throughout is assertive and unusually vivid, applied in flat, saturated washes of pink, yellow, and blue that give the portrait an almost graphic character, suggesting it may have been produced or colored for commercial or promotional sale to tourists or collectors during the period.

The reverse bears the pencil inscription "Great Scalah" in cursive at the upper corner, accompanied by multiple pencil and ink sketches or practice marks across the card stock.