A whole plate negative. A starboard near broadside view, taken from just ahead of the beam, of the passenger/cargo liner Assam (1873) at anchor or moored in Gravesend Reach, River Thames. She has an auxiliary brig rig with double topsails and single topgallants and is flying the blue peter. She has awnings rigged aft and the passenger ferry Earl of Essex (1877) is alongside. Tilbury is in the background. The original negative has been discarded and a safety sheet film negative has been made from a 12x10 photographic print produced from the original negative in the 1950s.