Mounted oval gem tintype depicting an artist at work at an easel, likely Herman Decker (1824–1894), a Rhode Island painter. The small tintype shows a figure sketching a landscape scene with a lake and tree, mounted within a decorative gilt oval frame on a larger card mount. A companion carte de visite photograph shows a bearded artist holding drawing materials, probably the same individual.

Herman Decker was a Rhode Island artist active in the mid to late nineteenth century. The identification is supported by accompanying handwritten notes on the mounts.

The gem tintype is mounted within a larger card with a cutout aperture. The accompanying CDV bears the imprint J. A. Williams, Tourou Street, Newport, R.I., with printed notice stating duplicates could be ordered and negatives preserved.