[Cal_Escapee]

Black & White Historical Photographs

From the exposition of the photography of Eadweard Muybridge at the SF Museum of Modern Art (Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/11/PK7J1HEPBK.DTL&type=art )

Nob Hill became a prime vantage point for photographers of San Francisco. Because Nob Hill became associated with this incredible wealth, people wanted to see what the wealthy railroad barons could see from their homes. (These pictures were) actually made for one of those wealthy men, Leland Stanford, as part of a series of pictures Stanford commissioned Muybridge to make of his new mansion. (They are) a document of his own view from his home.

Muybridge made panoramic views from the top of Mark Hopkins' mansion for sale to the public, so they could vicariously experience this privileged view."

 

[krudmonk]

Nice photos. By any chance, did you migrate here from another forum?

 

[The-E-Vid]

Nice pics it would be nice to post a present day pic next to each one for comparison

 

[Cal_Escapee]

Nice pics it would be nice to post a present day pic next to each one for comparison

That wouldn't be strictly possible since the photos were said to have been taken from a window of the Leland Stanford mansion, seen below, which burned down in 1906. Of the Nob Hill mansions of the great railroad and silver barrons on Nob Hill, only the Flood mansion remains, now the home of the Pacific Union Club.

The Leland Stanford mansion (corner of California & Powell where now sits the Stanford Court Hotel).

Source: http://www.ronhenggeler.com/the_big_4/1-15.htm

A cable car descends Nob Hill on Powell St. in 1902 with the Stanford mansion seen prominently at the crest (and the Mark Hopkins mansion, also burned, seen to its left a block away on California St.)

Source: http://www.americahurrah.com/SanFrancisco/1902/NobHill.htm

 

[desertpunk]

Cliff House 1902

 

[Animo]

 

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Wow fantastic. I love looking at all those old photos.

 

[Animo]

Saturday is the 103rd anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire, the greatest disaster in the city's history. The quake, which struck just before dawn April 18, caused major damage and set off a series of fires that raged for three days. When it was over, 522 city blocks were in ruins and 28,188 buildings were destroyed. More than 1,00o people died.

Hundreds of photographers took thousands of pictures of the disaster, but some of the best were taken by John Henry Mentz, official photographer for United Railroads, the city's principal transit operator in those days.

Most of Mentz's pictures were locked away in files for years, and many have never been published before. They show the destruction of the city - and particularly of its cable car and electric streetcar system - together with work to rebuild public transit.

Within two weeks of the disaster, United Railroads, a predecessor of today's Municipal Railway, had replaced the cable car lines on Market Street with electric streetcars and had restored rail service on Market Street.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency inherited 4,077 glass plate negatives from the United Railroads, including these remarkable pictures.

- Carl Nolte, [email protected]

Crowds at Alamo Square watched as huge fires destroyed downtown San Francisco on April 18. The row of Victorians on the left are the famous "Painted Ladies" that grace Alamo Square to this day. (John Henry Mentz / SFMTA)

Though transit service was quickly restored, San Francisco was a mess for some months. This picture shows construction at Spear and Market streets just before Christmas 1906. (John Henry Mentz / SFMTA)

The earthquake wrecked most of the city's car houses. This is the interior of the car house at Oak and Broderick streets. The cars are electric streetcars. (John Henry Mintz / SFMTA)

Market Street & Valencia Street, Chimney after fire, June 18, 1906 (John Henry Mintz / SFMTA)

Washington Street & Mason Street, C & P.H., After Fire, May 7, 1906 (John Henry Mintz / SFMTA)

Washington Street & Mason Street, C & P.H. Engine Room, After Fire, April 18, 1906 (John Henry Mintz / SFMTA)

Shearing Rail McAllister Street, Between Broderick & Baker Streets, July 14, 1906 (John Henry Mentz / SFMTA)

Oak Street & Broderick Street Car House, April 18, 1906 (John Henry Mintz / SFMTA)

Sutter Street Cars, Between Steiner Street & Pierce Street, May 14, 1906 (John Henry Mintz / SFMTA)

Sutter Street, West From Hyde Street, Rock Crusher, WC-O #0201, Possibly the Oil Car, July 27, 1906 (John Henry Mentz / SFMTA)

Sutter Street, West From Hyde Street, Dirt Car Unloading Ballast, July 27, 1906 (John Henry Mentz / SFMTA)

Burnt Powell Street Cars, Bay & Taylor Streets, May 12, 1906 (John Henry Mintz / SFMTA)

Union Street, Between Steiner Street & Pierce Street, November 15, 1906 (John Henry Mentz / SFMTA)




Source images and text: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/17/BAS91737GT.DTL

 

[ElDudarinodotcom]

People always associate San Francisco with the 1906 earthquake due to the fires and destruction, but the hardest hit city per capita was actually Santa Rosa. The entire downtown was completely leveled which is a total shame because there were some beautiful buildings.

Pre Earthquake:





Post Earthquake:














Uploaded with ImageShack.us

http://srtan.com/MainPages/Main1906.htm

 

[Animo]

^^ Yes, I have seen the documentary that they did a few years ago. It highlighted the destruction of other places in the Bay Area too. It's a pity all of those were destroyed. Whenever I have time I'll try to look up more vintage photos of other Bay Area cities.

Thanks for those by the way!

 

[Animo]

Here are some more and it would be interesting to do a Then and Now comparison. I'll try to do this as a side project during the summer.

San Francisco Earthquake Photos

From: http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906/photos.html

City Hall

The Waterfront

The Financial District

Crowds gathering on Market St. watching the fire

US Mint with tents of refugees

Wrecked buildings at Stockton & Geary (where Nieman Marcus now sits on the southwest corner of Union Square)

Refugee camp in Golden Gate Park

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_San_Francisco

View down Sacramento St.

From http://americahurrah.com/USGS/Contents.htm

Mission Dolores

Temple Emmanuel

View west from Telegraph Hill

The Emporium (department store)

Howard St. (with buckled streetcar tracks)

From http://history1900s.about.com/od/photographs/ig/San-Francisco-Earthquake/

The Mission District on fire

View from Nob Hill (I believe)

Market St. (south side between 3rd and 4th)

Market St.(south side between 2nd and 3rd)

From the Bay

Temporary burial of bodies

Mobs seeking to leave the city

Bread lines

View up Market St. from Ferry Building tower

View from Nob Hill

Chinatown (Telegraph Hill in background)

From: http://robroy.dyndns.info/lawrence/landscape.html

Aerial of the city in ruins

^^
What a catastrophe!

San Francisco 1938 by Brett Weston


Rooftops and Mountains, San Francisco, by Brett Weston 1938 by Photo Tractatus, on Flickr

Hope a little motion is OK:

Market St., San Francisco, 1906 (must have been before April )

Same now (2005)

San Francisco 1940 (I cried at the sight of those streetcars on the Bay Bridge)

World's Fair 1939 (Treasure Island, SF)

More SF, 1906, IN COLOR

Source all: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/07/MN6K1I4BU4.DTL

The first photo is on Market St. at Powell and the building that takes up much of the shot should be familiar to anyone who has visited SF and lined up at the Powell St. cable car turnaround (it's still there, fully restored, and now houses a GAP).

 

[desertpunk]

Speaking of early color autochromes of San Francisco, here's some from 1915 of the Marina District and the Panama-Pacific Exposition:

 

[Animo]

^^ Those looks awesome! I wish they still do those expositions and seeing all of those in real life must have been amazing!

Just to keep this old thread alive...

SAN FRANCISCO 1850

Here are some photos of Oakland and San Diego

Oakland City Hall 1926

Oakland City Hall 1929


Oakland Federal Realty, now known as the Cathedral Building 1914

These are the panos I posted on the first page but aren't loading.

San Francisco

1851

1904

1906

1909

1920

San Francisco

 

[JoshuaSantos]

Duplicate, please delete. Thanks!

 

[JoshuaSantos]

The old San Jose City Hall:

 

[Animo]

A few more here:

Alameda, Date Unknown

San Francisco

San Francisco

San Francisco

 

[desertpunk]

Cable Cars on Powell St. 1945

 

[hoogbouw010]

Quick scans from my own collection of old slides and negatives:

1. Lombard Street, 1963.

2. Grant Av/vinton Ct, 1968.

3. Grant Av/Commercial St, 1968.

4. 1982.

5. 1982.

6. 1962.

7. 1978.

8.

9. 1886.

 

[Animo]

^^ Thanks for posting those mate! Awesome collection you got on your website.

 

[jlee]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/g/a/2011/06/16/unionsquare.DTL&object=

gallery of union square in the past on sfgate.com.