Poignant and beautifully composed sixth plate ruby ambrotype depicting a young child in repose, clearly a post mortem image. The child is laid out on a large pillow with legs gently crossed, hands folded over the chest, and eyes half-open—posed in peaceful rest. A delicate lace curtain serves as a backdrop, and the child's cheeks are subtly tinted, with additional hand coloring to the lips and a small bouquet or floral accent held in one hand.

The composition is intimate and solemn, a rare survival of the deeply personal mourning practices of the mid-19th century. The child’s expression, the carefully arranged body, and the domestic interior setting evoke the Victorian ethos of death as a moment to memorialize with reverence and visual dignity.

Presented in a fine scalloped-edge brass mat with scroll and shell corners, this image is housed in a full case. Plate exhibits good clarity and contrast, with minor surface specks typical of the ruby ambrotype format.

Post mortem photographs of children—especially in tintype—are significantly less common than daguerreotypes and ambrotypes and are particularly desirable when posed as sensitively as this.