An elevated panoramic view of Des Moines, Iowa, looking east from the courthouse rooftop, captured on an albumen CDV mount with no photographer's imprint visible. The wide-angle perspective encompasses multiple city blocks and suggests the image was made in the 1870s based on the visible state of urban development. The inscription on the reverse identifies the subject as a view east of the courthouse in Des Moines, Iowa.

In the foreground, a stone civic building with arched windows and a domed cupola anchors the lower left, while a large painted commercial sign reading "LLSLAGER" and "PAPER" is visible on a rooftop at center. An unpaved street curves through the right side of the frame with scattered pedestrians and a horse-drawn conveyance, and mature trees interspersed among brick commercial blocks extend toward the horizon.

Des Moines was incorporated as Iowa's state capital in 1857, and by the 1870s its downtown corridor had grown substantially with multi-story brick commercial buildings replacing earlier frame construction, consistent with the density and mixed architecture visible here.

The reverse bears a pencil inscription reading "View East of the Court House in Des Moines Iowa" along with additional partially legible handwriting below.