Occupational sixth plate daguerreotype of a young surveyor seated beside a finely detailed transit instrument, resting on a table draped with a patterned cloth. The man gazes directly at the camera with a steady expression, dressed in formal attire including a high-collared shirt, waistcoat, and bow tie. His left arm rests on the table next to the instrument, while his right hand holds a folded document or notebook, likely related to his fieldwork.

The transit, prominently featured and sharply rendered, identifies the sitter’s profession with precision. Instruments of this type were used in the mid-19th century by surveyors to measure horizontal and vertical angles with high accuracy and were crucial to the development of railroads, land divisions, and expanding urban infrastructure. Occupational portraits of surveyors are rarely encountered and particularly compelling for their blend of technical and aesthetic interest.

Housed in a full leather case opening from the center with rich red velvet pad, the image reflects the pride and professionalism of a tradesman at the intersection of science and expansion during America’s antebellum era. An important early visual record of the surveying profession and the tools that shaped the nation's physical boundaries.