A watercolour depicting seven men wading in a river; two in the foreground roll up a net over a pole, while the rest are spearing salmon.

This watercolour is a study for the background of RCIN 922057, a portrait of Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, and his brother Prince Alfred being helped and carried respectively across the River Dee by the jäger John Macdonald. This event took place on 9 September 1853, when the royal party went to watch salmon fishing and Haag accompanied them - Queen Victoria noted in her journal that the artist made 'several slight sketches', and was 'much struck with McDonald carrying one of the boys through the water'. She later commissioned Haag to paint the subject as a surprise birthday present for Prince Albert the following year.

The German artist Carl Haag spent the autumn of 1853 at Balmoral at Victoria and Albert's invitation. As a result he was commissioned by the Queen and Prince to paint two large watercolours of the royal family in Scotland as presents for his patrons' respective spouses - see RCINs 451255 and 451257. The studies he made for these works, as well as other Scottish scenes (such as this one), were probably also acquired by the royal couple, and were originally kept in a portfolio lettered with the title 'Original Studies from Nature in the Highlands'.