Snapshots of the Past

[View of San Francisco harbor] – Vintage Wall Art

[View of San Francisco harbor], [1850 or 1851] — historic photograph
[View of San Francisco harbor], [1850 or 1851]. Historic photograph from the Daguerreotypes & Early Photography collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Few images capture their era like this historic photograph of [View of San Francisco harbor]. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[View of San Francisco harbor]

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Taken around 1850 or 1851, this half-plate daguerreotype shows the waterfront at the height of the Gold Rush, when the city was swelling with prospectors bound for the goldfields. Many ships that arrived from around the world were abandoned in the bay as crews deserted for the mines. Daguerreotypes needed long exposures, so moving sailors and boats leave little trace, and what remains is the stillness of the anchorage and the shoreline. Its silvery, mirror-like surface also rewards close looking.

Created / published[1850 or 1851]
Medium1 photograph : half-plate daguerreotype.
GenreDaguerreotypes 1850-1860.Landscape photographs 1850-1860.
SubjectsHarbors--California--San Francisco--1850-1860. San Francisco (Calif.)
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,096 × 3,307 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi
Reference712_View_of_San_Francisco_h_1850

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