Three unidentified boys pose in a comic novelty arrangement around a large faux gunner cannon mounted on a wooden crate in this lively cabinet card by Illyes of State Street, Hammond, Indiana The image dated to the early 1890s based on mount style and the boys' clothing. The deliberate absurdity of the props and the broad grins on two of the three subjects make this a staged comic portrait of the type popular among young men in the period, in which humor and bravado were performed directly for the camera.

The boy at center stands holding a pistol raised in mock threat, wearing suspenders, a striped shirt, and a flat cap. The boy at left kneels beside the crate with a pipe or small object at his mouth and a pained or stoic expression. The boy at right sits grinning broadly and holds a small carved or toy figure in his raised hand, a bucket hanging from a rod or bar in front of him, and what appears to be a wide-brimmed hat tipped back on his head. The faux gun or cannon sits prominently on the crate between them, the clear center of the joke.

The mount face bears the script imprint of Illyes, State St., Hammond, Ind. along the lower edge.