The etching of the balloon flight depicts roofs in the foreground, the skyline of Paris in the distance, and the ornamented balloon in the upper third of the image, positioned as though sailing off the page.

An image of the event was used as the Frontispiece of a 1784 work describing the Montgolfier brothers' experiments.

Beneath the simple engraved frame are the names of the draughtsman and engraver, and a lengthy title. Centered within the caption is an image of the balloon resting on clouds, and the line, "Vue de la Terrasse de M. Franklin a Passy" (Seen from M. Franklin's Terrace at Passy).