The image of an old man with a thin beard is depicted full face. The man is shown sitting on a low chair. He is dressed in a dark green long robe and gray and purple pants tucked into felt boots, with bian xie, Chinese classical cloth shoes, instead of galoshes. A gray and blue apron is tied on the man's belt. There is a dark brown hat on his head. The shoemaker sits between two large baskets, sewing a bian xie shoe. The baskets contain workpieces, bundles of threads, and a large piece of leather. There are two pieces of leather and an unfolded knife with a wooden handle and a semicircular blade in front of the man. 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.