Three children pose together in this quarter plate daguerreotype produced by Collins of Westfield, Massachusetts, a daguerreian active in the region from at least 1852 through 1871 with documented partnerships in Springfield. The image is housed in a leather case with embossed foliate and bird motifs on the exterior covers and a crimson velvet interior pad bearing a scrollwork and cartouche design. The gilt rope-twist mat frames the plate within the opened case.

The two older children flank a younger child seated at center, who wears a lace or ruffled collar and holds what appears to be a small object in both hands. The boy at left wears a dark jacket with a white turned-down collar, and the girl at right is dressed in a patterned or checked dress with short sleeves over a long-sleeved underlayer and drop-shoulder seaming. A painted studio backdrop suggesting foliage and an architectural element is faintly visible behind the group.

Thomas P. Collins appears in regional directories in Westfield in 1852, 1860, and again from approximately 1864 through 1871. He was also active in Springfield in partnership with O.H. Cooley in 1853, and D.C. Collins operated a Main Street Springfield studio with Howard W. Peale from 1853 to 1855. An 1850 advertisement placed in North Adams describes Collins selling a portable "daguerreian saloon" transportable by rail.

The photographer's imprint reads "Collins, Artist, Westfield" on a paper label affixed to the mat. The image measures quarter plate.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.