Historical Prints San Francisco Visitors Take Home Depict Its Colorful Past

By Susan King


The City By the Bay has a fascinating and unusual history that makes it a wonderful place to visit. Millions of tourists do just that to ride the trolleys, stroll through Fisherman's Wharf and tour the other famous landmarks. Purchasing artwork that depicts the most iconic areas found in the city is very popular. Some choose the instantly recognizable Golden Gate Bridge, while others are more interested in the unusual and historical prints San Francisco dealers have in their shops.

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.

Of course one of San Francisco's most pivotal and historical moments was the devastating earthquake of 1906 and its aftermath. Photos showing the destruction caused to City Hall and the Call Building are remarkable. They are vivid reminders of the power of Mother Nature.

There is no city quite like San Francisco. Instead of burying and denying its past, it has embraced it and made it part of the culture. This is one of the reasons people love to visit the City By the Bay and return again and again.




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