Photograph of the main front of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, ca.1888. A broad set of stairs leads up to the entrance. The mission is situated on an area elevated from the level of the street and sidewalk in front of it. A stone or concrete balustrade runs along the top of the low stone wall which separates the mission from the street.A cross is perched at the peak of the roof. A bell tower is visible behind. Eleven people are standing or sitting on the front stoop of the church, the stairs leading up to it or on the sidewalk along the street in front of it. A hill is visible in the distance over the roof of the mission.