314 New Photographs added to the OpenSFHistory archive!

San Francisco in 1855, T.E. Hecht] Panorama view from near present Ina Coolbrith Park. View 1 of 4 part panorama [Telegraph Hill] Photographer Unknown (Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

If you’re like us, you love historical photography of San Francisco.  Looking through a looking glass into the past and comparing it with the present, lends a certain magical realism to our current lives.  See Market Street before the 1906 earthquake, nob hill before Van Ness st. was paved, the first cable cars up California Sreet. The panoramic photos on Nob Hill circa 1855 are some of the first photographs ever taken of the SF Skyline.   This collection is wonderful, see all the pictures at the OpenSFHistory by Western Neighborhoods Project.

The ‘Tender Nob’ in 1855, Before the Tenderloin even existed

View E from Nob Hill circa 1855
[San Francisco in 1855, T.E. Hecht] Panorama view from near present Ina Coolbrith Park. View 4 of 4 part panorama

Thanks to the Open SF Historical Archive you can browse these photos online and learn about their origins for free! And thanks to the many unnamed photographers for their invaluable preservation of the past.

3rd & Market Aug 1903

3rd & Market Aug 1903
View East toward G.A.R. Arches, Grand Army of the Republic Parade down Market. Examiner/Hearst Building decorated with portraits, Palace Hotel and Ferry Building in distance.

3rd & Market Aug 1903 At Night

Market near 3rd Aug 1903
Night view of GAR (Gr

These are just some of our favorite photos, see them all for yourself at the  Open SF Archive here.

The Devastation of the 1906 Earthquake

Unknown Location 1906
1906 Earthquake and Fire, Mills Building in background. Soldiers milling about ruins.
Photographer Unknown (Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

After 1906 Quake, refugees living in Golden Gate Park

Big Rec 1906 1906 earthquake and fire. Refugee tents and barracks in Golden Gate Park. Mount Sutro in background. Laundry or wash day.

See all the photos here