A man is depicted in profile with a turn to the left. The snake catcher is squatting. He is dressed in a dark green shirt with short sleeves and gray knee-length pants. The man's head is shaved; he is barefoot. With both hands, the man holds a black and green snake that is wrapping around his left arm. A pitcher-shaped basket is tied to the man's belt on the left side. 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.