A bird's-eye view of the Parisian defensive fortifications at Charenton documents the siege works from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to 1871. The stereoview is mounted on a yellow card and bears the series imprint "Siège de Paris, J. R. Phot." printed vertically along the left edge, placing it within a documented photographic series produced during or immediately after the siege. The Fort de Charenton was a defensive work located in Maisons-Alfort that took its name from the neighboring town of Charenton-le-Pont it was built to protect.

The view looks down from an elevated vantage point onto a masonry rampart with angled revetments, a gatehouse structure with a pitched roof at the center, and a crenellated parapet wall stretching to the right. In the foreground, a row of sandbags lines the lower wall, and earthen glacis slopes descend steeply into a dry ditch below the main wall. A city skyline with scattered buildings and bare trees stretches across the hazy distance behind the fortifications.

The Siege of Paris lasted from 19 September 1870 to 28 January 1871, when forces of the North German Confederation captured the French capital. Charenton was among the southern forts defending Paris during the siege, alongside Ivry, Bicêtre, Montrouge, Vanves, and Issy. The fort saw passing regiments as well as foreign occupation forces at the time of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

Inscribed in ink on the reverse: "Charenton." Series title printed on the mount face reads: "Siège de Paris, J. R. Phot."