A Civil War soldier occupies the center of this sixth plate tintype, seated and posed with hands folded across his lap in a composed, forward-facing posture. The process and format date the image to the 1860s, consistent with wartime portraiture. No photographer's imprint is visible.

The subject wears a dark sack coat over a light-colored work or fatigue shirt, with what appears to be a forage cap pulled low on his head. A full mustache is clearly visible beneath the brim. His hands rest clasped in his lap, and the oval brass mat frames him within an ornately embossed gilt case.

Wartime tintypes of common soldiers were frequently made in the field or at studios near encampments, often serving as keepsakes sent home to family. The informal dress and working-class appearance of this subject suggest an enlisted man rather than an officer, a detail consistent with the majority of surviving Civil War tintype portraiture.

The image is housed in a leather case with an embossed decorative border and an oval brass mat. No imprint or inscription is visible on the case interior or reverse.