The mixture of steamboats and sailing ships in this picture gives us a good idea of the thriving trade in Leith during the nineteenth century. Wilson ably recorded the vitality and prosperity of the place in a series of photographs after it was considerably enlarged in the middle of the century. A generous empty space in the foreground puts us right out to sea with the steamboat in the far ground. The silhouettes of the masts thrust up into the sky and the thick dark smoke drifting across are a further demonstration of Wilson's talent for spotting good compositions and shooting contre-jour.