Title:
[San Francisco, east from Kearny and Clay Streets, with masts of sailing ships in the harbor.]
Abstract:
Bird's-eye view from the roof of the Union Hotel in Portsmouth Square, with the harbor and docked ships in the background.
This image is sometimes referred to as the "Sea of masts" view, and once thought to be the earliest surviving photograph of
the city of San Francisco. It has been noted that the store ship Niantic is visible toward the right, which would indicate
a date prior to the fire of May, 1851; possible from late 1850. This plate is the right half of a two-plate panorama, the
other half of which is lost and not thought to have survived the earthquake and fire of 1906. The full view does exist in
copy photographs. (For example, see copies in the Roy. D. Graves Collection at the Bancroft Library (BANC PIC 1905.17500 v.1:18-:19),
with digital reproductions available online. For another copy of both halves, see BANC PIC 1905.16242:194a-b-- PIC)
Date:
[between 1850 and May 1851]
Subject:
Buildings
Cities and towns
Commercial buildings
Dwellings
San Francisco (Calif.)--Pictorial works
Note:
This view and other daguerreian panoramas of San Francisco are reproduced and discussed in the San Francisco Maritime Museum's
"Sea Letter", vol. 2 nos. 2 and 3 (October 1964).
Type:
Daguerreotypes
Landscapes
Physical Description:
1 photograph : daguerreotype ; whole plate, visible image 15 x 20 cm.
displayLabel="Marks, Inscriptions and Accompanying Material">Blind stamped on plate: [LL] flower symbol; [UL] 40.;;;displayLabel="Image
Package Note">Original component parts: plate, mat, cover glass. Mat: octagonal.;;;displayLabel="Container or Case Note">Type:
half case. Material: leather over wood. Dimensions: 27 x 21.8 cm. Notes: label -157 (from prior owner). Daguerreotype removed
from case and housed separately.;;
Local Call Number:
BANC PIC 1905.16242:106--CASE
Filename:
brk00040091_8a.tif
Copyright Note:
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Copyright Owner Note: All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html
Contributing Institution:
UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library
[San Francisco, east from Kearny and Clay Streets, with masts of sailing ships in the harbor.]
