Unusual And Historical Prints San Francisco Collectors Recommend

By Susan King


The City By the Bay is a favorite tourist destination for people all over the world. Every year millions pass through the city and enjoy its many amenities including temperate weather, beautiful views, fine dining, trolley cars, and unique history. Most want to take something home to remind them of their time spent in this unusual and distinctive city. Prints are a popular choice. Golden Gate Bridge views may be the obvious option, but there are a number of other historical prints San Francisco collectors recommend.

If you were lucky enough to dine at the Cliff House during your visit to this city, you might want to take a visual memento of this famous, and some would argue infamous, restaurant back to show friends and family. You may know the story about the gingerbread house precariously perched above Ocean Beach, but your friends probably won't.

Adolph Sutro, a mining engineer, who bought Cliff House and restored it to its most famous incarnation was also the force behind the famed Sutro Baths located just north of Cliff House. He began with a ocean pool aquarium that he expanded into the largest indoor bathhouse in the world. At one time Sutro Baths included seven pools, natural history exhibits, paintings, sculptures, and even Egyptian mummies. No longer in existence, the Baths can only be enjoyed in photographs.

If you enjoyed visiting the local markets here, you may want to purchase a print of Market Street as it appeared at the turn of the twentieth century. There is stunning photography depicting patrons in horse drawn carriages and trolleys. The Flat Iron Building is predominant in many of these photos.

Nob Hill was the height of sophistication and conspicuous wealth and nothing epitomized that as much as the Hopkins Mansion. San Franciscans of the time either loved it or hated it, and when it burned to the ground as a result of one of the fires created by the 1906 earthquake, people were said to have stood on the beach and applauded. Today it is a luxury hotel and a great reminder of past grandeur. It is a popular print in local shops.

San Francisco is no stranger to colorful characters, and one that is still remembered fondly today is Emperor Norton. The local citizenry accepted his eccentricities and looked forward to his latest proclamations and decrees. His reign as self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States lasted almost a quarter of a century. During that time he was a welcome guest at theaters and restaurants throughout the city.

The 1906 earthquake was a defining moment in the city's history, and there are numerous old prints showing the devastation that occurred as a result of the quake and the fires that ignited after it. The scenes of what was left of City Hall and the Call Building are very interesting.

This City By the Bay is beloved by many, and it has a unique cultural and architectural history with pivotal moments created by natural disasters. Pictures of its Golden Gate Bridge abound and are beautiful. It is interesting to see some lesser known photos though that give a real sense of this city's golden past.




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