A sixth plate daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified young boy dressed in full cadet uniform, presented in a thermoplastic union case with a gilt cartouche mat and burgundy velvet liner. The image dates to the 1850s to early 1860s based on the case style and process, with no photographer's imprint visible on the mat or case interior. The subject is rendered in three-quarter seated view against a dark studio ground.

The boy wears a single-breasted cadet jacket with a row of at least ten small round buttons running from collar to waist, a high white standing collar, and dark trousers. A flat-brimmed military-style cap sits low across his brow, and his arms rest at his sides with both hands visible resting on his thighs. His expression is direct and unsmiling, his gaze meeting the lens with notable composure for a subject of his age.

Cadet portraits of young boys in this period are associated with military academies and preparatory schools that admitted students as young as ten or eleven, institutions that proliferated across the northeastern and southern United States before and during the Civil War era. The quality of the uniform and the formality of the sitting suggest the portrait was commissioned to mark enrollment or advancement.

The plate is housed in its original full case with an embossed gilt frame. The lower right area of the plate exhibits emulsion exfoliation.