Saturday, June 17, 2017

Historical Prints San Francisco Visitors Take Home Depict Its Colorful Past

By Susan King


Millions of tourists visit Northern California every year. Most of them buy mementos of their time in its City By the Bay to take home with them. It is not unusual for these visitors to purchase affordable artwork of some iconic landmarks that distinguish the city. Many choose views depicting the Golden Gate Bridge while others opt for the more unusual, but equally distinctive historical prints San Francisco collectors prefer.

One things a lot of visitors want to do is eat at the famous Cliff House. There a number of photos depicting the structure, that seems to teeter precariously above Ocean Beach. Adolph Sutro's renovation, which turned it into something reminiscent of a gingerbread house, is arguably the most famous. It would make a great memento of your time in this city.

The Sutro Baths no longer exist, but you can visit the remains just north of Cliff House. The mining engineer and one time mayor of San Francisco, Adolph Sutro, had a vision for a bathhouse where the public could come to exercise and socialize in style. The product of this vision became the biggest indoor swimming facility in the world. In its heyday, there were seven heated pools, paintings, history exhibits, and Egyptian mummies. The only way to enjoy it today is in a photograph.

Market Street is a favorite of tourists and residents as well. If you enjoyed your time strolling among the stalls located in the amazing Farmer's Market, you might want to take home a print showing the way the street appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. Most depict a busy intersection bustling with trolleys and horse drawn carriages.

You might have spent a night at the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill and enjoyed the view from the Top of the Mark. If you did, you must have noticed the photography highlighting the original mansion that once stood in its place. Many believed it to be the gaudiest and most vulgar building ever built, but others admired the size and grandeur of the designer's endeavor. Although fire brought on by the 1906 earthquake destroyed it, the Mansion still lives on in print.

San Francisco has seen its fair share of colorful characters, but none have been more peculiar or beloved than Emperor Norton. Generally considered mad but harmless, the self-appointed Emperor of the United States routinely issued proclamations and decrees. He was a welcome guest in fine restaurants and opera houses, where he was expected to pay for nothing at all. A photographic portrait of this unique character would make a great conversation piece.

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.

There is no city in the world that remotely resembles the City By the Bay. It has a unique and colorful personality that has thankfully been preserved in print. Landmarks, local characters, and cataclysmic events are all carefully recorded for future generations.




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