Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, is depicted in this albumen carte-de-visite in a composed strict profile, her gaze directed to the right of the frame. Elliott & Fry, founded in 1863 by Joseph John Elliott and Clarence Edmund Fry, was one of Victorian London's foremost portrait studios, operating from 55 Baker Street, Portman Square from 1863 to 1886, placing this carte firmly within that period.

The subject wears a dark, close-fitting bodice with fine vertical striping and a small white lace or linen collar at the throat. A delicate brooch secures the collar, and a slender pendant necklace falls across her chest. Her hair is arranged in elaborate curls swept up and pinned high, with a decorative floral or foliate ornament nestled among the curls, and soft wisps frame the nape of her neck and ear.

Princess Louise was born at Buckingham Palace on 18 March 1848 and was known as a woman ahead of her time in many ways, with strong artistic tendencies encouraged by her parents. She married John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, in 1871, and Elliott & Fry produced multiple portrait sittings of her across the decades, making this studio one of the definitive photographic recorders of her image.

The reverse bears the printed studio imprint "Elliott & Fry, 55 Baker Street, Portman Square, W." and is inscribed in pencil at the upper left "Princess Louise."