A young child is portrayed in this vignetted sixth plate daguerreotype, produced by Samuel Broadbent, whose imprint is stamped into the lower border of the gilt mat. Broadbent operated across Philadelphia, New York, and numerous southern cities between the early 1840s and his death in 1881, making attribution to a specific locale difficult without additional documentation, though his Philadelphia Chestnut Street gallery was his most sustained address.

The subject faces the camera directly with a composed, steady expression, thier dark hair parted at center and falling in long ringlets to either side of her face. The subject wears a light-colored dress with a ruffled or lace collar, and a small decorative pin or button is visible at the neckline. The gilt mat is oval with a braided rope pattern, set against a golden velvet mat board.

Samuel Broadbent (1810-1881), born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, learned the daguerreotype process from Samuel F.B. Morse and went on to become one of the most widely traveled daguerreians of his era, eventually establishing the firm Broadbent and Taylor in Philadelphia, continued after his death by his sons as Broadbent Brothers.

The imprint reading "S. BROADBENT" is stamped into the lower edge of the gilt mat. The leather case features deeply embossed floral and thistle decoration on the exterior and a crimson embossed velvet pad on the interior lid.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.