A black and white portrait photographic of a South Asian man wallking beneath trees with a South Asian woman and another, almost completely obscured figure, walking a few paces behind him. Several other people are visible towards the side of the photograph. Originally captioned 'A "Coolie" & his family / Durban'. 'Coolie' is an outdated word, now considered offensive, used to describe Asian labourers.

The man is barefoot, wearing a turban of white or pale material and carrying some sort of tool or bindle over his right shoulder. The woman who is visible behind him wears a long dress and a head covering.