A man in a straw hat turned three-quarters to the left is depicted in motion. The man is wearing a blue shirt with a brown belt and long gray pants. The seller is depicted barefoot. On his right shoulder, with both hands, the man holds a bundle of pipes with long bamboo shanks, to which two bags for tobacco are tied. On the man's right hand, there is a basket with a flat bottom. In the basket, there is a wicker plate with pipes. The etching comes from the album "Chinese Customs and National Costumes", which includes 60 images of Chinese people engaged in various activities. Each image is accompanied by an explanation in German; some of them are written in French. In the eighteenth century, artists in Canton (Guangzhou) in southern China created such paintings for Europeans seeking to learn more about China and its people.