A full plate tintype portrait of an unidentified Civil War soldier, hand-tinted with considerable skill and presented in a wide walnut frame with a gilt liner and arched paper mat. The photographer is unidentified and no studio imprint is visible. The tinting, uniform details, and framing style are consistent with the 1861 to 1865 period.

The soldier wears a dark frock coat with a row of gilt buttons running the length of the front placket and a striped stand collar, consistent with Federal infantry dress. Applied tinting brings flesh tones to his face and hands, warm color to the collar stripes, and gilt enhancement to the buttons and revolver. He holds a large-frame cap-and-ball revolver at chest height with both hands, the cylinder and barrel rendered in applied gold, making the weapon the visual centerpiece of the composition. His expression is direct and composed, with a full mustache and chin beard.

The framing is substantial, with a deep walnut shadow-box surround, a reeded gilt inner liner, and a cream paper mat cut to an arched window that frames the image. The combination of the large format, applied tinting, prominent sidearm, and quality framing suggests a portrait commissioned for a family of some means.

The tintype measures full plate size.