Item is a group portrait of a minstrel show. 42 performers, including children and adults, are posed seated or standing on a stage. Six of the performers appear in blackface, wearing makeup and wigs.

Minstrel shows are a style of variety show, most popular during the late 19th and early 20th century, in which white performers use make-up and costumes to depict racist and stereotypical caricatures of Black people. The genre originated in the United States, but Canada had its own troupes and touring companies, and the format was popular with schools, community groups, and religious organizations.

A two-page hand-written eulogy was found with the photograph that begins "Ella Roberts age 85 years of Galena, Ohio died November 28, 1949..."