The figure of a young man with a moustache is depicted in frontal view, his head is turned three-quarters to the left. The man is wearing a long green shirt, with a patch on the right shoulder and long brown trousers. He is wearing fabric shoes. On the man's head is a cone-shaped straw hat. On his right bent arm sits a monkey in a red shirt, which he is holding by a rope. This tamed monkey, at the signal of a gong that hangs on the man's chest, demands alms for his master from passers-by. The etching comes from the album "Customs and National Costumes of the Chinese," which includes 60 images of Chinese people engaged in various activities. Each image is accompanied by an explanation in German and some in French. In the 18th century, artists in Canton (Guangzhou) in southern China created these paintings for Europeans eager to learn more about China and its people.