Three men in mid-19th century dress stand before an ornate trellis archway on the grounds of the Exposition Universelle on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, in this sixth plate daguerreotype captured at the opening of the exposition in 1855. The image has a slightly solarized sky, giving the upper portion a soft blue tone against the silvered plate. No photographer's imprint is present, and the maker remains unidentified.

The Exposition Universelle was France's answer to London's Great Exhibition of 1851, staged under Napoleon III and centered on the Palais de l'Industrie. It was the first major exposition held in Paris, and its official report counted 5,162,330 visitors. The ornate latticework arch, gas lamp standard, and classical figural statue are consistent with the garden setting of the exposition grounds in the Jardins des Champs-Élysées.

The men wear dark frock coats and bow ties. The central figure, in a light brimmed hat, holds what appears to be a document or program in his hand, and the man at right wears a tall top hat. Behind them, trees rise through the trellis framework, and a decorative fountain pedestal and additional ornamental work are visible in the middle ground. A statue of a draped classical figure stands on a pedestal at left beside the trellis screen. The sky above the arch has been selectively tinted in pale blue, a hand-coloring technique consistent with the period.

This daguerreotype captures the exposition setting with rare intimacy. The sky coloring and the presence of posed visitors suggest the image was made for a visitor or commemorative market during the exposition's run, from 15 May to 15 November 1855.

The daguerreotype is housed in a plain paper mat with a rounded aperture and backed with blue-gray card stock. Inscribed faintly in white on the reverse: "Exp" (abbreviation uncertain). Sixth plate.