John Haberle's work is recognized for its sense of composition, illusion, and humor. He was a master of American trompe-l'oeil (French for “fool the eye”) still life painting. Born in New Haven, Connecticut to German parents, Haberle was apprenticed to a printing firm at a young age. There he developed skills as a lithographer, printmaker, and illustrator. Haberle later committed himself to trompe l'oeil painting, capturing the American imagination as a leading practitioner of the practice.

The dimensions of this small painting depicting a writing slate make it life-size, which makes the trompe l'oeil effect feel even more realistic. The text reads: “My last slate at Wavertown. FRED,” which hints at a bygone, adolescent life. At the lower left, hovering over the artist's own printed signature, “HABERLE,” is a crude stick figure-a schoolboy doodle-which underlines its vulgar distance from the “real” artist's virtuosity and elevated status.