Half plate tintype depicting a painted rocking horse posed in profile on its curved rocker base, presented as a still life rather than a portrait. The image shows a stylized horse with contrasting saddle and harness details, photographed against a plain studio backdrop. The photographic process is tintype, consistent with the matte surface and tonal qualities visible, and the format aligns with mid-19th-century studio still-life practices. No photographer’s imprint or identifying text is visible on the image.

The tintype is housed in a molded thermoplastic case with a raised fruit basket motif on the exterior, paired with an ornate gilt brass oval mat framing the image. The interior lid is lined with burgundy velvet featuring an embossed decorative motif. Such cases and ornamental mats are characteristic of the Civil War era and slightly later, when still-life compositions of toys and domestic objects were produced alongside portraiture, often as keepsakes or symbolic images.

The presentation remains complete with case, mat, and liner intact. No inscriptions or handwritten identifiers are present. The subject appears intentionally composed, emphasizing the rocking horse as an object rather than as an accessory to a sitter, making this an uncommon example of a 19th-century photographic still life in a cased format.