A young sailor occupies the center of this ninth plate daguerreotype, presented in a leather case with red velvet interior and an ornate gilt brass mat featuring a cartouche-shaped opening with scrollwork borders. The portrait dates to the mid-nineteenth century and bears careful hand-applied tinting across multiple elements, a detail that elevates it above standard studio production of the period. No photographer's imprint is visible on the case or image.

The subject wears a dark coat with a wide fur-trimmed or fleece-lined lapel folded open at the chest, revealing a hand-tinted blue shirt beneath. His reddish-brown hair is full and swept back, his expression direct and composed, and a tinted object, likely a bird or decorative piece, is visible in his hands at center frame. The tinting applies blue to the shirt and selective warm tones to the skin and hair, with white highlighting on the coat lapels, creating the red, white, and blue palette noted with the lot.

The deliberate patriotic tinting scheme on a sailor's portrait suggests the image was made or decorated with clear personal or nationalistic intent, a not uncommon practice for maritime subjects during the antebellum period.