Photograph of 'The Hard' in Portsmouth with a barge in the foreground and a harbour behind on which boats are moored. In the background are buildings along the sea front, including a building with a sign reading 'hotel'.

The Hard is in an area of Portsmouth known as Portsea which was originally known as Portsmouth Common. It is thought that the Hard came to be named due to the clay that was deposited on the coastline at low tide which was rolled and dried until hard in order to create a slipway. This photograph is a carbon copy of the original albumen photograph. Carbon was a process that was less susceptible to fading, unlike the original albumen that was prone to discolouration over time.