A crowd of people are ice skating on the ice harbor in Dubuque. The photograph is shot to that both the city on the shoreline and riverboats on the frozen river are visible.
Approximately seven people are standing on the chunky ice of the frozen river, four of the boys huddled together. There is a rail bridge in the back left.
A path has been made by two wheels going through the snow, curving away to the right. There is a forest to the left of the tracks and a snowy hill to the right.
A barge or ferry is docked on the river by a small cluster of buildings. It is tentatively identified on the back as Specht's Ferry just north of Dubuque.