The fire-gutted north wing of the Tuileries Palace fills both stereo frames of this albumen stereoview, one of the most consequential documentary photographs produced in the immediate aftermath of the Paris Commune of 1871. The Commune's fires, set primarily during the final days of Bloody Week in May 1871, destroyed or heavily damaged the Tuileries Palace along with other major Parisian landmarks. The printed series title "Insurrection de Paris" appears in gilt lettering vertically along both long edges of the yellow mount, with the credit "Photog. par Q.V. à Paris" printed in the image margin, identifying the Paris-based publisher. The mount is yellow card stock.

The palace facade stretches across the full width of both frames, its arched windows blown out and upper cornice breached, the shell of the building mirrored in the still water of the Tuileries basin in the foreground. A formal row of clipped ornamental trees lines the terrace between the ruined structure and the reflecting pool, and debris is visible at the base of the facade. The sky is pale and featureless, throwing the gutted stonework into sharp relief.

The Tuileries Palace, once the residence of kings, was consumed by fire on 23 May 1871 as the last insurgents were driven out of Paris. After nearly twelve years of discussions about its future, the ruined building was ultimately demolished. Stereoviews from the "Insurrection de Paris" series were among the earliest photographs to document the destruction commercially, and they circulated widely as historical records of the Commune's aftermath.

The reverse carries a printed series label reading "INSURRECTION DE PARIS. / Le jardin des Tuileries." ("The Tuileries Garden"), with a pencil notation above. A printed retailer's stamp affixed to the reverse reads "LEONARD B. ELLIS, Fine Art Rooms, Paintings, Looking-Glasses, on Artists' Materials, &c., ENGRAVINGS, 40 WILLIAM STREET, New Bedford."