Portrait of a woman seated in front of a vibrant plaid cloth backdrop, captured in a carefully composed ninth plate daguerreotype. Her dark patterned dress, tied neatly at the collar with a spotted ribbon, harmonizes visually with the rich pattern behind her, while her faintly vignetted outline suggests the photographer’s intentional use of light and masking to isolate the sitter from the setting.

The backdrop itself is unusually strong and deliberately chosen, an element more often seen in tintypes than daguerreotypes, giving the image a visual punch that feels ahead of its time. Housed in a leather case with a crisp gilt mat and accompanied by its original pebbled exterior and ornate clasp, the image captures both personality and atmosphere in a memorable and somewhat theatrical presentation.