Interior scene depicting a man and a young boy in an attic room, preparing for a circus performance. The man sits on an old wooden chair to the left, cross legged with his right hand on his chin; he looks pensive as he watches the young boy practice acrobatic tricks on an old rug. Beside the man is a wooden box containing circus equipment, and about the room, ragged clothes hang from a makeshift washing line and an open door. In the background below a wooden shelf, a small dog wearing a frilled ruff sits on large drum in watching the rehearsal. The attic room is dark and undecorated with only a small window to the far left.