https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com Sun, 05 Jul 2026 04:02:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/01/alfred-farnsworth-original-early-san-francisco-california-watercolor-1907-listed/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/01/alfred-farnsworth-original-early-san-francisco-california-watercolor-1907-listed/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2026 03:22:40 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/01/alfred-farnsworth-original-early-san-francisco-california-watercolor-1907-listed/







Signed and inscribed lower right Rocky Pt. Likely depicting Red Rock Beach or Stinson Beach, where the artist frequented, or another San Francisco Bay coastal locale. Shown both with frame and without (no glass). Work itself measures 12 x 20 inches. Frame measures 19 x 27 inches. In very good condition; please see photos. About the artist, from Edan Hughes: Being from an upper class family, Farnsworth was well educated in England and later became a member of the British Royal Engineeers. While studying civil engineering in Paris, he became interested in painting and may have had some instruction there. From Paris, he moved to Canada where his sketching ability was of great use while working as a railroad surveyor. He then lived for several years in Spokane, WA and, while there, married an English woman. Upon coming to San Francisco in 1892, Farnsworth gained employment as an artist for the Examiner and, while in that capacity, painted many luminous watercolors. He later moved across the bay to Marin County where he was a resident of San Anselmo, Stinson Beach, and San Rafael. He sometimes painted with Thaddeus Welch and Louis Rea. His subject matter seldom varied from scenes of the San Francisco Bay area. From his brush came views of Mount Tamalpais and the Mann hills, the Golden Gate, Fort Point, and coastal scenes. An alcoholic, he died on Sept. 17, 1908 at Adler’s Sanitarium in San Francisco. Artists, Golden Gate Park Museum, 1915. In: San Jose Museum; De Young Museum; Mann Co. Historical Society; Civic Art Gallery of San Jose; Society of Calif. Pioneers; Oakland Museum; CHS. CSL; CHS; AAW: From Frontier to Fire. Biography courtesy askart. Com, as submitted by Edan Hughes.

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Very unique and rare piece. The frame is brass and gold tones on plastic. There are no cracks or breaks in the frame. The round mirror on reverse side does have scratches. A wonderful collectible from days gone by. Please see pictures for more details. This is a small mirror that would fit in a pocket or ladies handbag. Your item will be wrapped with care for the journey to you. This vintage mirror from the early 1900s is a unique piece of historical memorabilia. It features the TAIT-Zinkand Café San Francisco California design, making it a great addition to any collection of collectibles. The mirror’s frame is made of high-quality materials that have stood the test of time. It is a wonderful example of the artistry and craftsmanship of early 20th-century San Francisco. This mirror is perfect for any lover of vintage items or historical memorabilia.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/12/tait-zinkand-cafe-san-francisco-california-mirror-early-1900s/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/11/4-early-california-photographs-by-w-j-piatt-monterey-carmel-mission-c-1900/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/11/4-early-california-photographs-by-w-j-piatt-monterey-carmel-mission-c-1900/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:48:44 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/11/4-early-california-photographs-by-w-j-piatt-monterey-carmel-mission-c-1900/



















Group of four early California pictorialist photographs by W. Silver-gelatin photographs on matte paper. Each photograph is signed on the reverse : Negative by W. Piatt, San Francisco (either stamped or written in pencil). Some images are titled as well. The subjects of the images are. (1) A view of the Mission Carmel with a man and his dog standing at the side entrance. (2) An architectural study of a California Mission Wall. (3) A view of working men at a train station, possibly in Monterey. (4) A ranch at the foot of Mount Shasta. All of the scenes are beautifully composed and photographed in the Arts & Crafts Pictorialist style of the era. A rare and historically interesting group of images. SIZE (of each) – 4 1/4″ x 6 5/8″. PROVENANCE: San Francisco collection. CONDITION: Excellent condition with the exception light discoloration at the edges (see photos). NOTES / REFERENCES: W. Piatt was a San Francisco photographer of some note during the late 19th and early 20th century. He is known for his views of California in the popular Pictorialist style of the times. He was an associate editor of “The Architect and Engineer of California” a monthly journal published in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He exhibited works in the Photographic Salon of the Mark Hopkins Institute during the early 1900s. Piatt photographs were published in a number of photography journals in America. He was a member of the California Camera Club where he exhibited with Arnold Genthe, Oscar Mauer. Charles Meeker and others. His photographs are rare.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/11/4-early-california-photographs-by-w-j-piatt-monterey-carmel-mission-c-1900/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/07/very-early-san-francisco-photo-dupont-street-grant-cobblestone-chinatown-1880/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/07/very-early-san-francisco-photo-dupont-street-grant-cobblestone-chinatown-1880/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:04:49 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/07/very-early-san-francisco-photo-dupont-street-grant-cobblestone-chinatown-1880/



Grant Avenue in San Francisco, California, is one of the oldest streets in the city’s Chinatown district. It runs in a north-south direction starting at Market Street in the heart of downtown and dead-ending past Francisco Street in the North Beach district. It resumes at North Point Street and stretches one block to The Embarcadero and the foot of Pier 39. Grant Avenue is primarily a one-way street; automobile traffic can travel only northbound. In 2012, however, the two blocks of Grant Avenue between Sutter and Geary streets were converted to two-way traffic in order to ease southbound traffic congestion during the multi-year closure of Stockton Street, part of the construction plan for the Central Subway. “Birthplace of a great city” plaque at 823 Grant Avenue. In 1835, the very first housing structure of Yerba Buena (the later San Francisco) was erected by William A. Richardson at what today is Grant Avenue, between Clay and Washington streets. In the following years, Dupont Street became the location for many Chinese stores, [4] along with some opium dens, brothels, and Tong wars. When San Francisco was rebuilt after being leveled in the 1906 earthquake, Dupont Street was upgraded and given a new name: Grant Avenue, after President Ulysses S. Today, the intersection of Grant Avenue and Bush Street marks the southern entrance to Chinatown. Grant Avenue is still written and said in Chinese as “Du Pon Gai” (, Gai means street).

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Street Corner in CHINATOWN SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA Early 20th Cent Press Photo. Size is approximately 7×9 to 8×10 inches. If significantly smaller or larger the specific size will be accurately described. These original and vintage press photographs come from the archives of various press agencies such as. PIX Publishing, Philadelphia Inquirer, and San Francisco Examiner, among many others. As it is a vintage press photo, it may contain wrinkles, creases, grease paint or other markings, paper loss or tears. Please study the scans carefully to assess condition or feel free to ask questions, as they will be promptly answered. Please visit our store to see more vintage press photographs! Heavier orders will be priced on a case-by-case basis.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2025/01/street-corner-in-chinatown-san-francisco-california-early-20th-cent-press-photo-2/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/08/california-san-francisco-album-with-19-early-original-photos-ca-1880s/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/08/california-san-francisco-album-with-19-early-original-photos-ca-1880s/#comments Mon, 12 Aug 2024 08:34:44 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/08/california-san-francisco-album-with-19-early-original-photos-ca-1880s/














& Cathcart, Walter, & others. Album with Nineteen Early Original Albumen Photographs from the Collection of Samuel Parsons – a San Francisco Resident and Employee of a Local Wall Paper Dealer George W. Clark & Co, ” Including a Series of Parson’s Portraits, Views of His Residences and a Street of San Francisco, the Storefront of “George W. Clark & Co on Market Street with Staff Members, Most likely Including Parsons, Scenes from an Outing in the Redwood Forest, &c. With a Later Gelatin Silver Portrait of a Young Girl at the Rear. Oblong Folio album ca. 28,5×36 cm (11 ¼ x 14 ¼ in). 14 thick paper and card stock leaves. With nineteen mounted albumen photos, including six partly hand-coloured cabinet portrait photos ca. 12×19 cm (4 ¾ x 7 ½ in), first mounted on the original card ca. 13×21 cm (5 x 8 ¼ in); all card with printed photographer’s credentials on the lower margins. Seven photos from ca. 20×24 cm (7 ¾ x 9 ½ in) to ca. 12×17 cm (4 ¾ x 6 ¾ in) are mounted on the original card from ca. 25,5×30 cm (10 x 11 ¾ in) to ca. 13×19 cm (5 x 7 ½ in); two cards are with the photographers’ printed or embossed credentials on the lower margins. With six albumen photos ca. 18×23,5 cm (7 x 9 ¼ in). Period brown morocco album with gilt-lettered name “Samuel Parsons” on the front board and elaborate gilt-tooled decorative borders on both boards. Decorative endpapers; all edges gilt. Binding expertly repaired on hinges and extremities, but overall a very good album of strong interesting rare photos. Historically significant collection of rare early photos of San Francisco and its environs, originating from an affluent local family. As follows from the gilt-lettered name on the front board, the album was compiled by, for of in the memory of one Samuel Parsons. According to the U. Federal Censuses of 1870 and 1880, Samuel Parsons was born in ca. In 1880, Samuel Parsons, then twelve years old, lived with his family at 14 Hill Street. ” Parson’s residence is still indicated as “14 Hill Street Langley’s San Francisco Directory for the year commencing April 1886. The album opens with six partly hand-coloured cabinet portrait photos, evidently of Samuel Parsons, showing him from the baby age to his early twenties. Then follow two early photos of San Francisco private residences; the one on the right is Parson’s house at 14 Hill Street (see number “14” above the front door). The other residence with the number “405” above the front door was not identified. Another excellent early photo on the official card of “Tobey & McCullough” depicts a San Francisco street (possibly Hill Street looking from the crossing with Valencia Street). The photo features wooden pavements and a dirt central part, street lamps and a leaving passenger cart, as well as the crossing with a cobblestone street. The album also contains a large, well-preserved view of the storefront of Geo. ” featuring the company’s elaborate advertising posters (“Paper hangings and window shades”) and the house number – “645 (the shop was located at 645 Market Street). The shop’s staff is posing at the front, with Samuel Parsons most likely standing first from right. The photo is mounted on the official card with printed credentials of the photographers (“Baker & Cathcart”) and their address Room 21, St. Ann’s building, Cor. Powell & Eddy Sts. On the lower margin. Another early interesting photo depicts a scene of a public gathering in a rural locality (most likely in California), possibly during the foundation of a building. The other photos include portraits of the Parsons family and friends during leisure trips in the countryside. Five photos depict a party in a redwood forest and at a river, where they arrived by a small steam train. The other images portray Samuel, his father and two young women posing at a countryside cottage and a group hiking near a mountain stream. A large photo at the rear, with the credentials of the “Seely Studio” from Eureka, shows a young girl, possibly a relative. Overall, an interesting collection of rare early photos of San Francisco and its residents. Not much is known about the fate of Samuel Parsons. His father, Charles Allen Parsons, died under uncertain circumstances during a sea voyage to Tahiti in 1893. The newspaper articles dedicated to the incident mentioned as his remaining children only Samuel’s younger brother, James A. Parsons (1869 – after 1927) and half-sister Grace B. 12; See also: His Death at Sea. The Strange End of Charles Parsons. An Old Man’s Plunge from the Galilee// San Francisco Chronicle. Possibly, by the time of Charles Parsons’ death, his son Samuel had already passed away. Globus Books is an independent San Francisco-based bookshop and a member of the American Booksellers Association and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and has been in business since 1971. Globus Rare Books and Archives is the department within Globus Books that specializes in rare travel and exploration related items from around the world with an emphasis on the Americas, the Pacific and Russian explorers and travellers. All items are guaranteed to be as described. We leave feedback for buyers once they have left feedback for us.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/08/california-san-francisco-album-with-19-early-original-photos-ca-1880s/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/1866-san-francisco-pacifics-early-california-baseball-team-1923-re-strike-photo/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/1866-san-francisco-pacifics-early-california-baseball-team-1923-re-strike-photo/#comments Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:10:52 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/1866-san-francisco-pacifics-early-california-baseball-team-1923-re-strike-photo/



1866 San Francisco Pacifics, Early California Baseball Team, 1923 Re-Strike Measuring 5.75″ x 8.5″. This would be classified as a 3(b) photograph. This image is a 1923 re-strike from the files of the Sporting News. Players : J Shepard, S. Great clarity on this early vintage baseball photo.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/1866-san-francisco-pacifics-early-california-baseball-team-1923-re-strike-photo/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/exceptional-pair-of-early-alcatraz-photographs-c-1888-89-amazing/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/exceptional-pair-of-early-alcatraz-photographs-c-1888-89-amazing/#comments Sun, 21 Jul 2024 04:03:13 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/exceptional-pair-of-early-alcatraz-photographs-c-1888-89-amazing/








An exceptional pair of images taken at Alcatraz Island, off of San Francisco, California, c. 1888 by noted army photographer, Lieut. The first image shows officers and their families in the garden of the citadel and the other shows the citadel structure itself. Condition is very fine, crisp and quite clean, with some foxing and soiling, with inscriptions and stamps verso. These two images presented by the Chaplain, W. , to another member of his family. Each print is approx. 7.50 x 4.50 inches excluding the paper mount. Alcatraz Island is located in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison (1828), and a federal prison from 1934 until 1963. Beginning in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of Native Americans from San Francisco, who were part of a wave of Native activism across the nation, with public protests through the 1970s. In 1972, Alcatraz became part of a national recreation area and received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/exceptional-pair-of-early-alcatraz-photographs-c-1888-89-amazing/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/california-yosemite-alaska-collection-of-28-rare-early-cyanotypes-ca-1900s/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/california-yosemite-alaska-collection-of-28-rare-early-cyanotypes-ca-1900s/#comments Wed, 17 Jul 2024 03:40:59 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/california-yosemite-alaska-collection-of-28-rare-early-cyanotypes-ca-1900s/

















Twenty-eight loose cyanotypes ca. 8,5×11 cm (3 ¼ x 4 ¼ in), printed on paper ca. 12,5×17,5 cm (5×6 in); one leaf trimmed to fit the image. All leaves with pencil numbers on verso. One cyanotype with an ink stamp Keuffel & Esse Co. New York, Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco on verso. One cyanotype with a minor staining, several slightly faded, but overall a very good collection. Rare collection of early western American cyanotypes. Most photos apparently show Northern California and the Yosemite National Park est. Among them are two photos of the Yosemite Falls and one image of the Yosemite Half Dome rock formation. Fifteen photos show California rivers, lakes, and forests, tourists posing on a boulder or next to their cabin, their pack horses, &c. Four photos depict Alaskan glaciers. One of photos has the ink stamp of “Keuffel & Esser” – a major American supplier of stationery, drawing materials and mathematical instruments since 1867. Globus Books is an independent San Francisco-based bookshop and a member of the American Booksellers Association and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and has been in business since 1971. Globus Rare Books and Archives is the department within Globus Books that specializes in rare travel and exploration related items from around the world with an emphasis on the Americas, the Pacific and Russian explorers and travellers. All items are guaranteed to be as described. We leave feedback for buyers once they have left feedback for us.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/07/california-yosemite-alaska-collection-of-28-rare-early-cyanotypes-ca-1900s/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/02/rare-early-steamer-edition-san-francisco-california-via-steamship-1868-newspaper/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/02/rare-early-steamer-edition-san-francisco-california-via-steamship-1868-newspaper/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:59:14 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2024/02/rare-early-steamer-edition-san-francisco-california-via-steamship-1868-newspaper/





Rare Early Steamer Edition San Francisco California via Steamship 1868 Newspaper. Offered is an original, historic, & collectible old newspaper: THE ALTA CALIFORNIA – For Circulation In The Atlantic Started, Europe And South America, San Francisco, Aug. 29, 1868 At the top of the first column is: “Steamer Alta California” noting that it is. Issued trial-monthly on the sailing of each steamer for Panama. It has the largest circulation of any Steamer paper on the Pacific Coast. There is no volume or issue number noted. As would be expected the content within is mostly concerning events on the West Coast so as to inform those in the East and elsewhere. Complete in 8 pages, never bound nor trimmed so it folds out to one large sheet, great condition. Please Note: All of our offerings are 100% authentic! We do not offer reprints or reproductions of any kind. They are guaranteed to be original! Links to Archival Storage Options & Certificates of Authenticity Are Below! Historical reports may be beautiful or ugly, but they are always informative. While we rejoice in the beautiful heroic, discovery, amazing feats, etc. , we at History’s Newsstand also offer “the ugly” for we are determined to learn from the wrongs of the past – understanding, to do so, we must be willing to look these wrongs directly in the face and shout NO MORE! It is for this reason many Black Americans collect historic slave ads, Jews collect reports regarding the Holocaust, women collect coverage of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, etc.. If you find any to be offensive, we agree! Hopefully this is an indication we are moving in the right direction. For this specific item, A U. The S&H will be calculated by using the highest item’s S&H as the base cost, and then adding a small amount for each additional newspaper. The per-item additional cost for newspapers, folders, portfolios, and presentation cases vary according to size and weight. We will still provide tracking and insure them at our expense. Are not included in our quoted S&H. If You Are Unhappy With Your Order. We have been both collectors and dealers in rare newspapers since 1975, serve as consultants to multiple museums, and are members of both the Ephemera Society of America and the American Antiquarian Society. Knowing every item we offer is guaranteed to be authentic. Timothy Hughes Rare Newspapers P. Desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. We hope you understand! Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.

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