A large 7.5 X 9.5 inch albumen print on an 11 X 14 inch dark mount presents a three-quarter studio portrait of a young Native American individual, unidentified by confirmed tribal affiliation, photographed in a softly vignetted studio setting consistent with the late nineteenth century. No photographer's imprint appears on the mount. The reverse bears a handwritten inscription in the upper left corner that reads "John Short Of," though the final word or words are partially legible and the full name remains uncertain.

The subject wears a feathered headdress secured by a leather band across the forehead, with dark and light feathers fanning outward on both sides. A loosely wrapped cloth scarf drapes around the neck and over the shoulders, layered over a decorated garment with embroidered or beaded trim at the chest. Drop earrings are visible at the right ear, and a beaded or patterned cuff is visible at the left wrist.

The pose is turned slightly from the camera with the face directed toward the lens, the expression composed and direct. The studio backdrop is graduated gray with pronounced brightened vignetting above and to either side of the subject, a technique common in commercial portrait work of the 1880s and 1890s.

The reverse inscription reads "John Short Of" with the concluding text partially illegible, written in pencil in the upper left corner of the blue mount. No additional markings or studio imprint are present.