Original 1/6 daguerreotype photo of a painted portrait of a man, wearing a uniform and writing with a quill pen. He looks like a Revolutionary War era American general or other military man to me... He is wearing a uniform with buttons running down the collar, and 4 more along his sleeve. The buttons are much easier to differentiate in person, because my scanner exaggerated a bunch of dust and other specks. There is a star insignia on his shoulder... and is that a flag in the upper-right? It also appears he is wearing epaulettes, and possibly even a bow in his hair.
In a half-case that is 3.75" x 3.25". Very good antique condition overall. I'm sure this will look a lot better in good, proper lightning that it does here. The contrast isn't strong but that's mostly because he is wearing a dark uniform against a dark backdrop. Cleaning the underside of the glass might help some, as well. There are no scratches, dings or swipes that i can see. The original seals are no longer intact, but most, or all of them remain in the case.