Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Lawrence & Houseworth photography albums: California views,
Date (inclusive): 1860-1870
Collection number: C005667; C005668; C005669
Collector:
Society of California Pioneers
Extent:
1,495 items in 3 albums
1,495 online items
Repository:
Society of California Pioneers
San Francisco, California 94107-1272
Abstract: 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.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the Society of California Pioneers. For permission to publish or to reproduce, please contact
the Registrar.
Preferred Citation
Please use the following citation format for all items. Refer to a standard citation style, such as MLA, ALA, or Turabian,
when identifying the individual item: [Item]. [Item number]. Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Florence V. Flinn, 1969
Project Information:
Photography Digitization Project: The Lawrence & Houseworth Albums, 1860-1870
These 1,495 photographs were digitized and catalogued as part of a one-year project funded by the Library Services and Technology
Act (LSTA) from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004, to preserve and provide access to these unique, historically important images.
The project entailed photographing each photograph to create 4x5" color transparencies that serve as both the archival form
of the images and the source of the digital images. Supporting metadata accompanies each image. All photography, scanning
and cataloguing were performed onsite by a professional museum photographer and Society staff. In addition to submitting
these digital objects to the Online Archive of California (OAC), we intend to have them available on our
website by the end of 2004.
Biography / Administrative History
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
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.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Alameda County (Calif.)
Alpine County (Calif.)
Amador County (Calif.)
Calaveras County (Calif.)
Contra Costa County (Calif.)
El Dorado County (Calif.)
Fresno County (Calif.)
Madera County (Calif.)
Mariposa County (Calif.)
Mendocino County (Calif.)
Merced County (Calif.)
Monterey County (Calif.)
Napa County (Calif.)
Nevada
Nevada County (Calif.)
Placer County (Calif.)
Sacramento County (Calif.)
San Francisco County (Calif.)
San Mateo County (Calif.)
Santa Clara County (Calif.)
Santa Cruz County (Calif.)
Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)
Solano County (Calif.)
Sonoma County (Calif.)
Stanislaus County (Calif.)
Tuolumne County (Calif.)
Yuba County (Calif.)
Banks--California--San Francisco
Bays (Bodies of water)--California
Bridges--California
Canyons--California
Canyons--Nevada
Churches--California
Cities & towns--California
Cities & towns--Nevada
Cityscapes--California--San Francisco
Copper mining--California--Copperopolis
Covered wagons--California
Dwellings--California--Calistoga
Dwellings--California--Oakland
Dwellings--California--San Francisco
Geysers--California
Hotels--California--San Jose
Hotels--California--San Francisco
Hydraulic mining--California
Indians of North America--California
Lakes & ponds--California--Oakland
Lakes & ponds--Nevada
Lumber industry--California--Mendocino
Mercury mining--California--Santa Clara
Mills--California
Mining--Nevada
Mission Churches--California--San Francisco
Mountains--California
Mountains--Nevada
Naval yards & naval stations--United States--California
Piers & wharves--California--San Francisco
Piers & wharves--California--Sacramento
Piers & wharves--California--Oakland
Quartz mining--Nevada
Railroad bridges--California--Folsom
Railroad construction & maintenance--California
Railroad dining cars--United States--California--Oakland
Railroad sleeping cars--United States--California--Oakland
Railroad tunnels--California--Cisco
Railroads--California
Railroads--California--Oakland
Redwoods--California
Rivers--California
Schools--California--San Francisco
Schools--California--San Jose
Ships--United States--California--San Francisco
Silver mining--Nevada
Steamboats--United States--California--San Francisco
Streams--California
Streets--California--Sacramento
Streets--California--San Jose
Streets--California--San Francisco
Streets--California--Santa Cruz
Transportation facilities--California
Trees--California
Trestles--California--Long Ravine
Trestles--California--Newcastle
Universities & colleges--California--Oakland
Universities & colleges--California--Santa Clara
Valleys--California
Waterfalls--California--Yosemite
Genres and Forms of Material
Photographic prints