A half plate negative. A starboard bow view of an unidentified barquentine rigged vessel under sail at sea. The ship has an iron or steel hull and a spike bowsprit. Her proper foresail is not fitted to the yard and it looks like a hatch cover is being used as a substitute. Three letters of the ship's name can be seen on the hull just abaft the anchor and they resemble DAR. There is background that can be seen to identify the location of the photograph. A vertical format image.