The subject of this stereoview is the Royal Gate of the Palace of Versailles, captured from the Cour d'Honneur side and framed by the monumental ornamental iron portal at center. The Royal Gate is a monumental iron gate adorned with gold leaf, featuring intricate symmetrical metalwork patterns and ceremonial proportions. The albumen stereo pair is mounted on a yellow card typical of French stereoview production of the 1860s to 1870s, with no photographer's imprint visible on the front. A solitary figure stands within the open gateway, lending scale to the imposing structure and animating an otherwise static architectural scene.

The gate's elaborate arched pediment is visible at the top of the frame, crowded with sculpted ornament including a central royal cartouche, foliate scrollwork, and pointed iron finials running the full width of the flanking fence. The palace facade rises in the middle ground beyond, its mansard roofline and dormer windows clearly resolved, while the broad cobbled forecourt stretches toward the viewer. The standing figure wears dark clothing and holds a staff or cane, positioned just inside the threshold.

The Palace of Versailles served as the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789. By the mid-nineteenth century it had become one of the most photographed monuments in France, and stereoviews of its gates and facades were produced in large numbers for the tourist and collector trade throughout the Second Empire and Third Republic periods.

The reverse bears two inscriptions: in ink in a period hand along the right edge reading "Palais de Versailles" (Palace of Versailles), and in pencil in the center reading "Château de Versailles" (Castle of Versailles). A dealer notation in pencil at the lower edge reads "2/21/10," with additional notations "OOLEX" and "Eb."