A self-portrait by photographer William Alonso Clapshaw. He is looking away from the camera while pulling a string that operated the shutter on the camera. He is dressed informally, wearing a white shirt that is left unbuttoned at the collar, dark striped pants and suspenders. He is seated on a wide curule chair that rests on what appears to be an oil cloth rug, with a plain backdrop behind him. This image was probably taken in Clapshaw's home studio; several other photographs exist that were taken in the same setting. The photograph is overexposed on the lower left corner and has some flaws due to deterioration of the emulsion layer on the negative.
