Abraham Lincoln is portrayed in a three-quarter length bust view turned slightly to his left in this CDV published by Charles D. Fredricks & Co., Specialité, 587 Broadway, New York, copyrighted in 1861 according to Act of Congress in the Clerk's Office of the United States for the Southern District of New York. The albumen print is among the most widely circulated portrait types of Lincoln produced between March 1 and June 30, 1860 during his presidency, and was issued at the height of public demand for CDV portraits of prominent figures.

Lincoln wears a dark frock coat over a white shirt with a loosely knotted bow tie, his characteristic deep-set eyes, prominent cheekbones, and short beard clearly rendered. His expression is composed and direct, his dark hair swept back from his forehead. The plain tonal background places full emphasis on the subject.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the sixteenth President of the United States, led the nation through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. CDV portraits of Lincoln were produced in enormous quantities during his presidency and remain among the most collected photographic artifacts of the nineteenth century.

The reverse bears the printed imprint of Charles D. Fredricks & Co. at 587 Broadway, New York, with ink inscriptions reading "Abraham Lincoln" at the top and "Jno. W. Searles" at the bottom, likely a contemporary owner's notation.