Oval-format albumen portrait of a seated Union soldier, housed in its original wooden frame with gilt interior border. The young man is shown in standard issue military frock coat and forage cap, posed with one hand inside his jacket and the other resting on a fringed table covering. A closed book on the tabletop reinforces the composed and thoughtful bearing of the sitter.

The image is unmarked and unidentified but representative of wartime studio portraiture during the American Civil War. Subtle hand-tinting to the cheeks and lips adds a lifelike quality to the otherwise formal presentation. Albumen prints in their original frames from the 1860s are increasingly uncommon, especially those preserving the clean oval mount and period aesthetic intact.