Large sidewheel steamboat E. J. Gay dominates the frame in this striking stereoview by New Orleans photographer Theodore Lilienthal Mungnier. The elaborately decorated vessel is seen dockside as it loads goods for shipment, likely cotton and other agricultural commodities central to the postbellum Southern economy. Dock workers stand among towering stacks of bagged freight, barrels, and wooden crates, offering a detailed glimpse into the bustling industrial rhythms of the port.

A pair of tall smokestacks rises above the ornate, multi-tiered superstructure of the E. J. Gay, whose name can be seen on the upper deck's signage. The image captures not only the architectural beauty of riverboat engineering but also the labor and logistical operation required to power commerce along the Mississippi River. Part of Mungnier’s “New Orleans and Vicinity” series, this view is titled “No. 216. Str. E. J. Gay, Loading,” with studio imprint on the mount: “Mugnier, Photo, 24 Exchange Place, N.O. LA.”