Cabinet card photograph depicting a two-story wooden post office building identified as a post office by a hanging sign above the entrance. The image shows five men standing on and in front of the porch, some holding papers, beneath a tall flagpole mounted at the roofline with a large American flag visible in motion. The setting appears to be a small-town or frontier streetscape, with boardwalk planking in the foreground and unfinished ground surrounding the structure. The photographic process is likely albumen, consistent with cabinet cards of the late nineteenth century. A period pencil inscription on the verso reads “Portland, Ore.” providing geographic identification.

The composition emphasizes the civic function of the building, with the post office sign prominently displayed and the flagpole suggesting official or governmental use. Such exterior views were commonly made to document public institutions during periods of town formation and expansion in the American West, often serving both commemorative and promotional purposes. The presence of multiple figures posed formally at the entrance reinforces the building’s role as a center of local administration and communication.

The card is mounted on a light-colored cabinet mount with rounded corners. The verso is otherwise blank aside from the handwritten location note, with no photographer’s imprint visible.