A young boy in a white dress stands beside her mother, whose dark clothing and shadowed pose leave her nearly hidden in the background, in this sixth plate daguerreotype by the Boston studio of Southworth and Hawes, housed in its full black leather push button case. No photographer's imprint is visible on the plate. A period notation inside the case lid identifies the sitters as Austin, though no further detail on the relationship or occasion accompanies the sitting.

The boy wears a short sleeved white dress with a ribbon trimmed waist and eyelet lace hem, striped stockings, and dark strap shoes, her hair centrally parted and pulled back. She extends one arm outward while her mother's hand rests on her shoulder. The mother stands almost fully obscured in a dark cloak and bonnet, her face indistinct, with only a small oval brooch at her collar catching the light.

Southworth and Hawes operated their Boston studio from 1843 to 1863 and are recognized among the first great masters of American photography, producing both formal single portraits and informal family groupings such as this one, in which a parent's presence is felt rather than clearly seen.

The case lid bears a period pencil inscription reading Austin, followed by additional partially legible notation. The plate is a sixth plate daguerreotype in its original full leather push button case.