Albumen carte de visite dramatic portrait of a young man posed in theatrical costume, wearing a tall top hat and cape and holding a walking stick, photographed before a painted studio backdrop with garden terrace and statuary. The dramatic pose and costume suggest a stage role or character portrait. The mount imprint identifies Forell’s Gallery, 59 Main Street, Galesburg, Illinois.

The elaborately printed backmark depicts a photographer operating a large studio camera surrounded by allegorical figures and cherubs, with the text “Duplicates Can Be Had at Any Time,” a common advertisement for nineteenth-century studio portraiture. The card is numbered 59.