Sixteen unidentified men who worked or lived in Forestville about 1890 posed for this view, probably taken near the blacksmith shop. The man fifth from right is wearing an apron and no coat, probably because he stepped away from work nearby to pose for the photograph.

Displayed is a wide variety of clothing styles and personalities. Prominent in the view are the abundance of sack coats, the most common type of men's outerwear in this period and predecessor of today's sport coat. Most of the subjects also wear vests, three of which do not have collars. All but two wear boots of varying heights, and all wear a hat of some sort. Four of the men wear billed caps (probably wool), eight wear medium-brimmed slouch hats, two wear bowlers, one a top hat, and the man at far right wears a fur cap. One man displays a pipe, another has a cigar firmly clamped in his mouth, and the better-dressed man second from left holds a cigar.

Why they gathered and the details surrounding the occasion are unknown, but this picture nevertheless gives modern-day viewers a remarkable sense of time and place.