A young girl stands for this hand-tinted quarter plate daguerreotype, produced at the Baltimore studio of Henry Pollock, whose maker's mark is stamped into the gilt mat. Pollock operated as a daguerreian in Baltimore from 1849 through the 1860s, and the format and studio attribution place this portrait in the mid-1850s. The plate is housed in its original case with a scalloped gilt mat and preserver.

The subject wears an off-the-shoulder plaid dress with white ruffled trim at the sleeves, paired with matching plaid pantaloons gathered at the knee over light-colored stockings and ankle boots. Her hand rests on her hip in a confident pose, and hand-applied color gives warmth to her cheeks and tints the plaid fabric in soft blues and tans. At her feet rests a straw hat trimmed with a feather and a matching plaid ribbon, and the studio backdrop includes a carved grapevine arbor motif at either side of the composition.

Pollock was born in Washington, DC, and began offering instruction in daguerreotyping as early as 1848, training operators including Isaac Briggs. He maintained studios at several Baltimore addresses through the 1850s, including 155 Baltimore Street opposite the Museum, where he advertised a portrait gallery from 1858 to 1860. His studio remained in operation until 1889, making him one of Baltimore's longest-active daguerreian practitioners.