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Guide to the Album of San Francisco views
BANC PIC 1985.084--ALB  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Information for Researchers
  • Administrative Information
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Collection Title: Album of San Francisco Views
    Date (inclusive): 1858-1906, bulk ca. 1895-ca. 1905
    Collection number: BANC PIC 1985.084--ALB
    Extent: 1 album (134 photographic prints) : b&w ; album 24 x 37 cm. 1 digital object (134 items)
    Repository: The Bancroft Library
    Berkeley, California 94720-6000
    Abstract: Album of San Francisco street scenes and photographs of civic and commercial buildings prior to the earthquake and fire of 1906. Of particular interest are twenty-three views of San Francisco’s Chinatown.
    Languages represented: Collection materials are in English
    Physical location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.

    Information for Researchers

    Access

    Collection is open for research. Please use digital facsimiles when possible.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-6000. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
    Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Album of San Francisco Views, BANC PIC 1985.084: [item number]--ALB, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

    Alternate Forms Available

    Digital reproductions of items are available.

    Administrative Information

    Acquisition Information

    Library purchase.

    Accruals

    Additional material is not expected.

    Processing History

    The Album of San Francisco Views was described and processed for digitization as part of the California Cultures project. The digitization was carried out by the Digital Imaging Lab at UC Berkeley.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    Chiefly professional or high quality amateur views, with several smaller format snapshots. San Francisco street scenes and photographs of civic and commercial buildings just prior to the destruction of the earthquake of 1906 predominate. Some views are captioned to indicate that they were taken shortly before the April 1906 fires reached the area, and the album may have been compiled as a conscious effort to document the city as it appeared before its destruction. Some images are captioned with historical intent, indicating copy views of images as early as 1858. No views of the devastation of 1906 are present.
    Noteworthy subjects include numerous streets of the downtown commercial district, several views from Nob Hill across the city, ships at wharves, the old ferry building (prior to the 1890s), the Presidio and Fort Point, Cliff House, Ocean Beach, Sutro Baths, Sutro Museum, Sutro Gardens, and Golden Gate Park (including the Midwinter Exposition grounds.) Of particular interest are twenty-three views of San Francisco’s Chinatown, in different photographic formats and presumably by various photographers.
    The compiler of the album is unknown, and it contains photographs by, R.J. Waters, Pillsbury Picture Co., George A. McDonald, copy prints by T.E. Hecht, and views by many unidentified photographers. Many photographs appear to be early 20th century prints of 19th century views.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
    California Midwinter International Exposition (1894: San Francisco, Calif.) -- Pictorial works.
    Waters, R. J.
    Hecht, T. E. (True E.)
    McDonald, George A.
    Pillsbury Picture Company.
    San Francisco (Calif.) -- Pictorial works.
    Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Pictorial works.
    Chinatown (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Pictorial works.
    Streets -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
    Chinese -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
    Commercial buildings -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
    Waterfronts -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
    Photograph albums.
    Photographic prints.