A young girl commands attention in this quarter plate daguerreotype, housed in a leather case with embossed floral and scrollwork decoration on both exterior panels. The image quality and compositional assurance place this work among the finer examples of mid-nineteenth century American studio portraiture, likely dating to the late 1840s or early 1850s. No photographer's imprint is visible.

The subject wears a dark dress with a wide, scallop-edged white lace collar fastened at the center with a small dark brooch. Her dark hair is parted at the center and dressed in long ringlet curls that fall past her shoulders, with additional volume arranged at the crown. She sits in a three-quarter pose before an ornate carved chair back, her gaze directed slightly upward and to the left with a composed, serious expression.

The image is framed beneath a gilt oval mat with a rope-pattern inner border and a foliate outer frame, all set against a gold velvet mat board. The interior of the case opposite the image is lined with embossed red velvet in a scrolling acanthus and floral design, and the exterior leather cover carries a matching raised floral panel on both boards.