A cracked ninth plate ambrotype depicting an unidentified young girl seated in a studio interior and holding a domestic cat in her arms. The child faces the camera directly, with hair parted at the center and cut to jaw length, wearing a striped dress with short, ruffled sleeves. The cat rests calmly across her lap, its head turned outward toward the viewer, creating a composed and intimate portrait. The image is an ambrotype, identifiable by its silvery tonal qualities and presentation behind glass, and likely dates to the mid to late 1850s based on hairstyle, dress, and photographic format.

Portraits of children with pets are uncommon in early photography due to the difficulty of keeping animals still during long exposure times. The relaxed posture of the cat and the child’s steady gaze suggest careful studio arrangement and possibly familiarity between sitter and animal. Such images offer an early visual record of domestic companionship and childhood affection, subjects that were rarely documented with this level of informality during the ambrotype era.

The image is housed in a full case with an ornate brass mat featuring a scalloped oval opening and dense decorative tooling. The mat closely frames the figure, emphasizing the child’s face and the cat’s expression. No photographer’s imprint, inscription, or identifying text is visible.