A good quality image. A view from the east side of the lock looking northward into Ipswich Dock. The spritsail barge Empress (1877) is under topsail leaving the dock. An unidentifed man in a suit with a knee-length coat and bowler hat is standing by the lock watching a rowing boat, which is being rowed out of the barge's way.

The exact identity of the barge is unknown as there were two spritsail barges named Empress, both built in 1877, and both may have visited Ipswich at some point in their careers.