A full-length studio portrait of an unidentified African American man, rendered as a tintype trimmed to CDV format, likely dating to the 1870s or 1880s. The image is uncased and bears no photographer's imprint. The format places it firmly within the democratized portrait tradition that made tintype studios accessible to working-class and Black American communities in the post-Civil War era.

The subject stands upright against a painted studio backdrop featuring an arched architectural motif, wearing a three-piece suit with a buttoned waistcoat, a loosely knotted cravat, and dark trousers. A white pocket square is visible in his breast pocket, and applied color accents appear at his lapel boutonniere and along the sleeve. His lace-up leather shoes and direct, composed gaze complete a portrait of deliberate self-presentation.

Full-length tintype portraits of Black men from this period carry significant documentary weight, representing an exercise of agency in self-representation at a moment when such images were culturally and politically charged. The sitter's formal dress reflects a conscious choice to project respectability and dignity before the camera.

No photographer's imprint is present. The plate is uncased and trimmed to CDV dimensions.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer