A young child sits upright at center in this sixth plate ambrotype, the hidden-mother technique employed to steady the small subject during the long exposure required by the wet collodion process. The mother's hand is faintly visible resting in the child's lap, a telltale sign of this well-documented mid-nineteenth-century studio practice. The image dates most likely to the 1850s or 1860s based on the format and case style.

The child wears a light-colored short-sleeved dress with a textured or smocked bodice, hands folded at the waist, and fine curled hair falling to the ears with small earrings visible. The expression is direct and serious, the eyes meeting the lens squarely. The gilt mat features a beaded oval opening with an ornate embossed surround set within a gold-painted preserver.

The leather case is embossed on both covers with a large central medallion of interlaced strapwork and foliate scrollwork, with a gilt scalloped border along the edges. The interior opposite the image is lined with embossed rust-colored velvet in a floral and scroll pattern. No photographer's imprint is visible on the case or mat.