A bearded man holds a child in this sixth plate daguerreotype, a portrait that reads immediately as a post-mortem record. The child's head rests heavily against the man's chest with eyes partially open and unfocused, the body limp and supported entirely by the man's arm. The man gazes directly into the camera with a composed, deliberate expression. No photographer's imprint is visible, and the image dates to the 1850s based on the man's dress and the case construction.

The man wears a dark frock coat over a light waistcoat, a white shirt with upright collar, and a large bow tie. The child is dressed in a plaid frock with a white lace collar and a row of small buttons down the front, hands loosely clasped at the waist.

Post-mortem photography was a common and accepted practice in the mid-nineteenth century, serving as the only portrait many families would have of a deceased child. The photographer's effort to pose the child upright against the father rather than recumbent reflects a convention intended to suggest peaceful rest rather than death.

The image is housed in a leather case with an embossed floral and scrollwork cover and salmon-colored silk pad interior. No markings, inscriptions, or photographer's imprint are present on the case or mat.