About the Photo Collection

The San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection contains photographs and works on papers of San Francisco and California scenes ranging from 1850 to the present. This collection includes views of San Francisco street scenes, buildings, and neighborhoods, as well as photographs of famous San Francisco personalities. The collection consists mostly of the photo morgue of the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, a daily newspaper, ranging from 1920s to 1965. The collection also contains albums, slides, postcards, cabinet cards, stereoviews, and lantern slides of San Francisco and California subjects.

Copies of images may be ordered with the Reproduction of Images Form (PDF). Many of the photographs are available for commercial use when a Permission to Publish Form (PDF) has been submitted.

The collection may be viewed in two ways: through the online database on the San Francisco Public Library website, which contains 38,000 digitized images from the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, or in person during photo desk open hours.

When viewing the collection in person, only a limited number of photographs may be examined at one time. Library users will be provided with gloves to wear while examining the photographs. The photographs are to be handled by the edges only and held securely on two sides. The following items are not to be used in contact with the photographs: pressure sensitive tapes, all types of glues, paper clips, elastic bands, staples, pins, pens or pencils. Photocopying of photographs is harmful to the image and is not allowed. Photographs may be reproduced through a photo lab of the Library's choice, through the Library scanning service or through a scheduled photo shoot. See Order Images for details.

For further information about the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection please call 415-557-4567 during open hours.