The photograph probably shows officers of the 4th Dragoon Guards with a French officer. The men are gathered around a small cooking stove and there are two horses to the right. They are all wearing military uniform and several are holding cups. There is a tent behind them to the left and there are two horses on the hillside to the right.

The original title written in pencil on the mount of the photograph in the 19th century is 'Mr Thompson, of the Commissariat, with Ismail Pasha's Attendants'. This, however, appears to be incorrect.