A grieving mother holds her deceased infant in this sixth plate daguerreotype, a format well suited to the intimate gravity of the subject. The image dates to the 1840s or 1850s, consistent with the daguerreotype process and the woman's period dress. No photographer's imprint is visible on the case or mat, leaving the maker unidentified.

The woman wears a dark, button-front bodice with a lace-trimmed collar and looks downward toward the child cradled in her arms. Her hair is center-parted and drawn smoothly back. The infant is dressed in a white christening-style gown with a lace bib collar and rests with eyes closed and head tilted back, the posture characteristic of post mortem portraiture. A simple wooden chair back is visible behind the woman.

Post mortem photography of infants and children was a common and accepted mourning practice throughout the mid-nineteenth century, often serving as the only likeness a family would possess of a child lost in infancy. The applied blue hand-coloring on the infant's gown is a deliberate addition, lending warmth and individuality to the child's dress within an otherwise silver-toned image. The case is leather with a gilt embossed mat and brass preserver.