A albumen silver print cabinet card made by Matt Mattson of Astoria, Oregon, whose imprint appears in script along the lower front of the mount. The image depicts two unidentified figures arranged in a posed study scene, depicted in the act of writing consistent with studio conventions of the late 1880s to early 1890s. The young man is seated at a lace-covered table, pen in hand, while a young woman stands beside him holding an open book toward him.

The lace tablecloth is rendered with fine detail, and a small terrestrial globe rests on the floor beneath the table. The young man wears a dark suit with a white bow tie, and the young woman is dressed in a dark fitted dress with pronounced sleeve detailing and button trim down the bodice. A painted studio backdrop depicting an interior with draped curtains and decorative molding fills the background, with a wicker chair visible between the figures.

The reverse is plain with no printed studio design, bearing only a faint penciled notation in the lower left corner reading "0101CAE." The mount has a cream-toned verso typical of the period, with no additional inscription or identification present.