A man is depicted in full face with a three-quarters turn to the right. The head is shaved. On the back of his head is a thin braid tied in a loop. He is wearing a dark green shirt girded with a blue wide belt and grey breeches with a purple patch on his left knee. The man is depicted barefoot. He is holding a carrying pole on his left shoulder. On one end of the shoulder pole, to the man's right, there is a straw round tray with red pods, white briquettes, and bamboo leaves. On the other end of the carrying pole, to the man's left, there is a straw shovel with chicory roots and yellow and orange grains. The etching comes from the album "Chinese Customs and National Costumes", which includes 60 images of Chinese people engaged in various activities. An explanation in German accompanies each image; some 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.