An unidentified young militia officer is depicted in this sixth plate daguerreotype, seated before the camera in a full dress uniform that places the image firmly in the antebellum period, likely the late 1840s to mid-1850s. There is a possible attribution to the Plumbe studio, one of the most prominent daguerreotype operations in America during that era, though no photographer's imprint is visible on the case or mount.

The officer wears a dark frock coat with double epaulettes displaying heavy fringe, a white standing collar, and a braided aiguillette crossing the chest. A sword with a tasseled knot rests across his lap, a peaked forage cap sits atop dark, collar-length hair, and a decorative prop featuring a floral arrangement and pointed finials occupies the left foreground.

The quarter-plate thermoplastic or leatherette case features a gold embossed floral motif at center with scrolled corner ornaments on a dark ribbed ground, and the interior lid is lined with salmon-colored silk.