This carte-de-visite depicts the Smithsonian Castle building photographed showing a southwest view. The building is surrounded by rocky and grassy soil with one small bare-branched tree in the left foreground. Construction work is being performed on the building. Two (2) small wooden structures can be seen in front of the building, one at the right foreground and one just right of the center foreground. Typed in red ink on the card mount below the photograph is the text "Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1866, by G. D. Wakely, Washington, D. C." The reverse side of the carte-de-visite is blank.