A mother standing with a broom beside her seated son reading a book is the subject of this quarter plate daguerreotype, presented in its brass mat and preserver. No photographer's imprint is visible. The plate captures an apparently informal domestic moment rather than a conventional posed portrait, with no further identifying detail accompanying the sitting.

The woman wears a dark printed dress with a fitted bodice and full hooped skirt, a kerchief tied beneath her chin, and grips an upright broom with hand tinted golden bristles. Her son sits at a small table in a dark cap and coat, one hand supporting his head as he reads from an open book.

The plate is set within an oval brass mat with a woven rope pattern border, typical of a Union case preserver of the period. Pairing a specific household implement held deliberately by the sitter with an unposed reading vignette sets this composition apart from standard studio portraiture, and such genre pairings are notably scarce in the market.