The west front of the United States Capitol fills this albumen silver stereoview published by E. & H. T. Anthony as part of their Stereoscopic Views in Washington City, D.C. series. The view is taken from ground level at an angle that emphasizes the sweep of the neoclassical sandstone facade, placing the newly completed cast-iron dome prominently above the roofline. Anthony's firm, operating from 501 Broadway in New York, was among the most prolific publishers of American stereoviews during the 1860s and distributed views of Washington widely in the years immediately following the Civil War.

The foreground shows broad wooden planking laid across the unfinished grounds, with patches of bare earth visible along the base of the perimeter iron fence. A single gas lamp standard stands near the fence line, and the curved colonnade of the dome's drum rises sharply above the building's cornice, its columns casting strong shadows across the rotunda.

E. & H. T. Anthony published their Washington series in close cooperation with photographers working on the ground in the capital, issuing numbered views distributed nationally through their Broadway emporium. This card is numbered 1297 in their Washington series.

The reverse label reads: "E. & H. T. Anthony's Stereoscopic Views in Washington City, D.C., No. 1297, Part of the West Front of the Capitol, Published by E. & H. T. Anthony, American and Foreign Stereoscopic Emporium, 501 Broadway, New-York." The number 1297 is also printed on the face of the right image. A handwritten notation in red ink reading "No. 137" appears on the left border of the mount.