The Lawrence & Houseworth albums contain photographic prints published in the 1860s that document the many aspects of gold, silver (Comstock Lode), and quicksilver mining; the building of the Sutro Tunnel; the growth of northern California industries; mining towns including Columbia, Volcano, Brown's Flat, French Corral, and Birchville; cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Stockton, and Sacramento; churches and schools; the development of transportation including covered wagons, shipping and the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad; railroad cars; portraits of Native Americans; and some of the state's natural wonders including the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe, and the Big Trees of Calaveras and Mariposa counties.

This collection represents the "desk" or "tourist" catalog of views for sale that had once belonged to the illustrious San Francisco stereopublishing firm of Lawrence & Houseworth. All of these samples were numbered and captioned so that prospective clients could readily select the photographs of greatest interest. They were available either as twin-imaged stereographs or singly as "album views" mounted on standard-size carte de visite cards.

1,495 items in 3 albums 1,495 online items

Property rights reside with the Society of California Pioneers. For permission to publish or to reproduce, please contact the Registrar.

Collection open for research.