A seated woman fills this sixth plate ambrotype, produced by Mathew Brady at one of his New York Broadway galleries during the mid-1850s. The ambrotype is reversible, readable from either side of the case, an uncommon structural feature that distinguishes this example from standard cased work. Brady's imprint is embossed into the lower right corner of the gilt mat, confirming attribution, and the period of production aligns with his documented operation at 359 Broadway, active from March 1853 through 1857.

The subject is posed three-quarter length in a carved parlor chair, wearing a dark dress with full sleeves, a wide lace collar, and lace cuffs at both wrists. Her dark hair is parted at center and drawn smoothly back. One arm rests on a surface beside her, hands loosely crossed, and her gaze meets the lens with a composed, direct expression.

Mathew Brady was among the most prominent American photographers of the nineteenth century, operating galleries in New York and later Washington and becoming best known for his Civil War documentation. This ambrotype dates to the height of his Broadway studio period, when his rooms above Thompson's Saloon at 359 Broadway competed with, and at intervals replaced, his earlier location at 205 Broadway.

The gilt mat bears a legible embossed Brady imprint at lower right. The leather case retains its brass clasp and purple velvet interior pad.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.