A Union soldier occupies this ninth plate tintype, seated in three-quarter view against a plain dark ground with a direct, composed expression. The process and the elaborate patriotic housing date the image firmly to the Civil War era, most likely between 1861 and 1865. No photographer's imprint is visible.

The subject wears a dark frock coat with a single-breasted row of buttons running to the collar and a forage cap seated squarely on his head. His right arm rests across his lap in a relaxed pose, and a white shirt collar is just visible at the throat beneath the coat.

The gilt mat frames the portrait in an oval aperture and is cast with a bold patriotic motif: the inscription "THE UNION NOW AND FOREVER" runs across the lower border, flanked by an artillery cannon on the right and a drum on the left, with crossed flags and stars decorating the upper register. The thermoplastic case is embossed with scrollwork, floral ornament, and additional flag imagery across all four corners, reinforcing the Union sentiment expressed by the mat.