california, history

Ruins of City Hall, [1906 earthquake, San Francisco, Calif.]

Public domain image of a large historic building, city hall, urban architecture, free to use, no copyright restrictions - Picryl description

Woman working on an airplane motor at North American Aviation, Inc., p...

Picryl description: Public domain historical photo of Second World War, free to use, no copyright restrictions image.

Macro texture wood, backgrounds textures. A close up of a piece of woo...

Architecture stock photograph: The golden thread wallpapers | by / A close up of a piece of wood.

Tule elk. PORE 312 - A couple of stuffed animals sitting on top of a t...

Cranium showing detail of antler anomaly on Tule elk. Velvet still on antlers of specimen. Cervus __ __elaphus __Linnaeus, 1758 __ __nannodes. (Catalog number PORE 312)

Map of the western & middle portions of North America : to illustrate ...

Relief shown by hachures. Prime meridians: Greenwich and Washington, DC. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.

Edward Robeson Taylor autograph letter signed to Thomas Wentworth Higg...

Sends a typed copy of a letter by John Brown, the original being in the possession of one of his students. Courtesy of Boston Public Library

Brazilian free-tailed bat. PORE 146

Brazilian free-tailed bat cranium and mandibles. Tadarida __ __brasiliensis __(I. Geoffroy, 1824). (Catalog number PORE 146)

California Sea Lion. PORE 138 - A small animal skull next to a smaller...

California Sea Lion cranium (skull) atlas vertebra (first cervical vertebra). Lobo-marino californiano. Zalophus __ __californianus __(Lesson, 1828). (Catalog number PORE 138)

James K. Polk Papers: Series 6: Notes, circa 1831-1847; Subject file; ...

map from "Narrative of a Whaling Voyage round the Globe, from the year...

This image has been taken from scan 000022 from "Narrative of a Whaling Voyage round the Globe, from the year 1833 to 1836. Comprising sketches of Polynesia, California, the Indian Archipelago, etc. With an acc... More

Life, travels, and adventures in California, [Front cover]

Public domain reproduction of illuminated book page, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

James K. Polk Papers: Series 8: Miscellaneous, 1827-1884; Chronologica...

cover from "The Gold Regions of California. Being a succinct descripti...

This image has been taken from scan 000007 from "The Gold Regions of California. Being a succinct description of the geography, history, topography, and general features of California ... Edited by G. G. Foster... More

James K. Polk Papers: Series 2, General Correspondence and Related Ite...

map from "The Gold Regions of California. Being a succinct description...

This image has been taken from scan 000010 from "The Gold Regions of California. Being a succinct description of the geography, history, topography, and general features of California ... Edited by G. G. Foster... More

Map of the emigrant road from Independence Mo. to St. Francisco, Calif...

Tacoma, Washington from "Over the Range to the Golden Gate. A complete...

This image has been taken from scan 000246 from "Over the Range to the Golden Gate. A complete tourist's guide to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Puget Sound and the Great North-West". T... More

map from "Historical Collections of the Great West; containing narrati...

This image has been taken from scan 000094 from "Historical Collections of the Great West; containing narrations of the most important ... events in Western History, remarkable individual adventures, sketches o... More

map from "Mexico, Aztec, Spanish and Republican: or historical, geogra...

This image has been taken from scan 000412 from volume 01 of "Mexico, Aztec, Spanish and Republican: or historical, geographical, political, statistical and social account of that country from the period of the... More

partygoers from "History of the State of California, from the period o...

This image has been taken from scan 000099 from "History of the State of California, from the period of her conquest by Spain to her occupation by the Unites States of America, etc. (Fifth thousand.)". The titl... More

[African American woman holding a white child]

Rinhart, no. 119. Modern handwritten note in case: Slave nanny/white child image came from an estate sale somewhere in the flat lands delta area of Arkansas. Likely from one of the following Arkansas towns: Hel... More

Nicaragua - fillibusters [sic] reposing after the battle in their quar...

General William Walker's men reposing in convent of San Francisco, during entrance into Granada, in 1855. Illus. in: Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper, 1856 May 3, p. 336.

Letter from Eliza Wood Farnham, San Francisco, [Calif.], to William Ll...

Mrs. Eliza Wood Farnham tells of the death of Mr. Broderick. She discusses the feeling in California regarding secession. She would like William Lloyd Garrison's criticism of her article, "My Early Days." Court... More

Grey whale baleen. PORE 212 - A picture of some feathers and a remote ...

Grey whale baleen. Ballena gris. Eschrichtius __ __robustus __(Lilljeborg, 1861). (Catalog number PORE 212)

Map of the southern states, including rail roads, county towns, state ...

Covers northern Missouri to Texas and the Kansas boundary to the Atlantic shore, including Delaware and a portion of Florida. Includes portraits of Lincoln, Seward, Scott, and McClellan and inset map of Washing... More

Grey whale ear bone. PORE 499 - Public domain natural history illustra...

Grey whale ear bone. Ballena gris. Eschrichtius __ __robustus __(Lilljeborg, 1861). (Catalog number PORE 499)

Unidentified sailor in Union lieutenant's uniform William Shew, 423 Mo...

Unknown seller suggests the sailor may possibly be Lieutenant Arthur R. Yates. Gift; Tom Liljenquist; 2016; (DLC/PP-2016:144) Forms part of: Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs (Library of C... More

Greensville Co. east of the Halifax road and that portion of No. Ca. i...

"Map from the Confederate Engineer Bureau in Richmond, Va. General J.F. Gilmer, Chief Engineer[.] Presented to the Virginia Historical Society by his only daughter, Mrs. J.F. Minis, Sav[ana]h, Ga."--Note on map... More

Nevada City, Nevada County, from the West

The Library holds only one photo from a pair published as a stereographic view. Gems of California scenery, no. 1082. LOT subdivision subject: Nevada City . This record contains unverified old data from caption card.

View down Six Mile Canyon, from the Lower Dump, Gould & Curry Mine, Vi...

The Library holds only one photo from a pair published as a stereographic view. Gems of California scenery, no. 720. LOT subdivision subject: Mining Nevada. This record contains unverified old data from caption card.

Scene on the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Three men on horseback The Library holds only one photo from a pair published as a stereographic view. Gems of California scenery, no. 640. LOT subdivision subject: Donner Pass Route. This record contains unver... More

Nick of the Woods, near Yank's Station, A Curious Cedar Knot, Valley o...

The Library holds only one photo from a pair published as a stereographic view. Gems of California scenery, no. 643. LOT subdivision subject: Lake Tahoe. This record contains unverified old data from caption card.

James Pierson Beckwourth (1798-1866), Fort Laramie National Historic S...

Photo date unknown. James Pierson Beckwourth was born in Virginia. A mountaineer, scout, pioneer and chief of the Crow Nation, he certainly lived many daring adventures which he recorded in his autobiography. I... More

Cave Rock, Lake Tahoe, Nevada (view from the road)

The Library holds only one photo from a pair published as a stereographic view. Gems of California scenery, no. 676. LOT subdivision subject: Wagon Trains and Stage Coaches. This record contains unverified old ... More

Alcatraz Island from Bay Shore and Fort Point Road, San Francisco

The Library holds only one photo from a pair published as a stereographic view. Gems of California scenery, no. 119. LOT subdivision subject: San Francisco General Views. This record contains unverified old dat... More

Photograph of Donner Lake Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Calif...

Photographic Prints Produced During Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel (King Survey)

Lake Tahoe. "Nick of the woods," a human face in a cedar, Valley of La...

Photograph shows a close-up of either an unusual natural tree formation or a face hand-carved into a tree trunk. No. 645.

The cliff house, near San Francisco, Cal. Taber Photo., San Francisco

Photo shows a bird's-eye view of the Cliff House overlooking Seal Rocks in the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco, California. No. B. 59. Printed on verso: Taber Photographic Parlors, 8 Montgomery Street, San Franci... More

Chinese immigrants at the San Francisco custom-house / P. Frenzeny.

Customs officers inspecting belongings of Chinese immigrants as others enter the room from ship; with insert of Chinese on wagon. Illus. in: Harper's weekly, 1877 Feb. 3, p. 81.

Letter from Samuel May, Jr., Leicester, [Mass.], to William Lloyd Garr...

Samuel May, Jr. forwards to William Lloyd Garrison an edition of the newspaper from Seneca Falls in which appears a letter from Garrison to Richard P. Hunt dated May 1, 1840. May thanks Garrison for his deliver... More

Entrance to Plaza de California (Panama-California Exposition)

Book Title: Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915, portfolio (38 gelatin silver prints).Artist: Francis Bruguiere.Artist Bio: American, 1879 - 1945.Creation Date: 1915.Process: gelatin silver print.Cred... More

His grace Joseph Sadoc Alemany, CSD - Arch Bishop of San Francisco / H...

Print showing Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, half-length portrait, facing slightly left, holding book and glasses in hands. K11000 U.S. Copyright Office. Signed on stone in lower right: H. Steinegger. Copyri... More

Letter from John Anderson Collins, Office of Jno. A. Collins, Attorney...

Go and see Hardy Gillard's great American educational panorama, Over t...

Public domain scan of a vintage map, plan, atlas, free to use, no copyright restrictions - Picryl description.

California Gulch from "History of Arkansas Valley, Colorado. [By W. B....

This image has been taken from scan 000493 from "History of Arkansas Valley, Colorado. [By W. B. Vickers and others.] Illustrated". The title and subject terms of this image have been generated from tags, creat... More

Letter from Nathan Robinson Johnston, Oakland, Calif., to Samuel May, ...

Johnston says, "I mourn the death of Wendell Phillips." He asks for details of Phillips' last sickness and death and says that he hopes to visit May some day. Courtesy of Boston Public Library

The banner in the grand procession

Illus. in: Souvenir, presented by Department of New York, to Department of California, Grand Army of the Republic, at National Encampment, San Francisco, Cal., August 1886, p. 47. Copyright by Grand Army Publishing Co.

Frederick Law Olmsted Papers: 1975 Addition, 1821-1924; Financial pape...

Frederick Law Olmsted Papers: 1975 Addition, 1821-1924; Financial pape...

Frederick Law Olmsted Papers: 1975 Addition, 1821-1924; Financial pape...

Map of the County of Santa Barbara, California /

Relief shown by hachures. Cadastral map showing drainage, roads, railroads, land ownership, landowners' names, ranchos, township and section lines, school and supervisorial districts, etc. LC Land ownership map... More

Suisun shrew. PORE 280 - A dead rat and a dead mouse on a table

Suisun shrew, ornate shrew study skin and cranium (skull) articulated with mandibles. Sorex __ __ornatus __Merriam, 1895. (Catalog number PORE 280)

Francke, Kuno, 1855-1930 manuscript poem, Berkeley, Calif.

Public domain scan of a poetry manuscript, poem, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description.

A Sunday concert in the plaza, Santa Barbara, Cal.

Shows audience. Photograph by the Detroit Publishing Co. Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection (Library of Congress). This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracing... More

Boulevard toward Los Banos Del Mar, Santa Barbara, Cal.

Photograph by the Detroit Publishing Co. No. 071705. No original negative. Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection (Library of Congress). This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Ca... More

Pasadena, California. Photochrom print, 1880-1890.

Historic Sites Public domain photograph of painting, 19th century, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Last inspections of Co. H, 9th Cavalry before leaving for China, San F...

Stereograph showing soldiers on horseback in a field lining up for inspection. D19037 U.S. Copyright Office. No. 68468. Copyright, 1900, by B. L. Singley.

Calle de San Jose, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Street scene. Public domain photograph - historical image of California, United States, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Bath house, Los Banos, Calif. - A black and white photo of a large bui...

Title devised by cataloger. No Detroit Publishing Co. no. Gift; State Historical Society of Colorado; 1949.

[Bath house, Los Banos, Calif.]

Picryl description: Public domain image of a park, park architecture, outdoors, romantic atmospheric landscape, cemetery, free to use, no copyright restrictions.

Theodore Roosevelt and party at the Old Mission of the Franciscan Fat...

Public domain photograph related to Theodore Roosevelt, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Dunlap, Knight, 1875-1949 autograph letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg,...

Dunlap, Knight, 1875-1949 autograph letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg,...

[Frances Benjamin Johnston, with Maddie (her mother), 1903, with a pai...

Title and other information transcribed from unverified, old caption card data and item. Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection. Caption card tracings: Shelf.

Dunlap, Knight, 1875-1949 autograph letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg,...

Dunlap, Knight, 1875-1949 autograph letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg,...

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931 typed letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg...

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931 typed letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg...

Humboldt sequoia - A group of men standing on top of a log

Lumberjacks with large Humboldt sequoia, which they fell. H64761 U.S. Copyright Office. No. 5.

[History of San Francisco mural "Earthquake and Fire of 1906" by Anton...

Title devised by Library staff based on information provided by the photographer. Mural title and artist name from San Francisco Mural Arts website, 2013. Date and keywords provided by the photographer. The Rin... More

[Unidentified Staples & Charles. San Francisco after the earthquake an...

This film is made up of five panoramas, four wide and one close-up, of the ruins of downtown San Francisco shortly after the 1906 disaster, plus a panorama and scene in a nearby refugee camp. Original intertitl... More

Army pack train bringing supplies. /

This film highlights the role of the United States Army in transporting supplies following the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco. The Army's relief operations headquarters was at their base, the Presidi... More

The burning of San Francisco. Reproduced from the only photograph that...

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: San Francisco State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: Harry Sterling Hooper Release Status: Releas... More

Civil War veterans of Grand Army of the Republic General George Meade ...

Photograph shows group portrait of Union veterans. Notation on verso: "General George Meade Post 48 GAR, Memorial Day, 1906." Deposit; Tom Liljenquist; 2017; (D073) Forms part of: Liljenquist Family Collection... More

California St. From Kearney., Southern Methodist University collection

Title: California St. From Kearney...Alternative Title: California Street From Kearney..Creator: Stoddard [attrib.]..Date: 1906..Part Of: San Francisco earthquake..Physical Description: 1 photographic print: ge... More

Edge of Chinatown, San Francisco, Cal

Detroit Publishing Co. no. 019194. Gift; State Historical Society of Colorado; 1949.

San Francisco disaster / motion picture

This film shows the partial burning of a small-scale model of downtown San Francisco in an early attempt at simulating the 1906 disaster. The model is seen in aerial view from above the South-of-Market district... More

San Francisco earthquake and fire, April 18, 1906 /

This film shows the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, and the devastation resulting from the subsequent three-day fire. The 8.3 magnitude earthquake struck at 5:12am and was centered ... More

Scenes in San Francisco, [no. 2] /

Panoramas filmed in the ruins of downtown San Francisco and outlying refugee camps following the 1906 earthquake and fire. A scene-by-scene description of the film: [Frame: 0102] Begins with a long, pan of down... More

Scenes in San Francisco, [no. 1] /

Views and pans among the ruins of San Francisco after the earthquake and fire. A scene-by-scene description of the film: [Frame: 0100] The camera, positioned at the southwest corner of Mission and 5th streets, ... More

A group of people walking down a dirt road. Earthquake san francisco 1...

A city in the snow / A crowd of people walking down a street / Public domain stock photo.

Ina D. Coolbrith autograph letter signed to Thomas Wentworth Higginson...

Reminding him of an earlier statement that he would like to review her next book; telling of her losses in the San Francisco earthquake and fire and describing the city as it emerges from the ashes. Old folder ... More

Hotel Potter, Santa Barbara - A black and white photo of a large build...

H126567 U.S. Copyright Office Copyright deposit; Haines Photo Co.; February 11, 1909. Copyright claimant's address: Conneaut, O.

Kids on the four-masted schooner named Snow & Burgess, San Francisco M...

Exact date unknown. Pictured: kids sitting on the boom of a four-masted schooner, Snow & Burgess. The year '1909' is written in script on the lower corner of the photo. Back row (L-to-R): Alan Boyd, A.P. Lorent... More

East wing, Arlington Hotel, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Public domain photograph of a hotel building, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931 typed letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg...

Dickinson, Bertha (Lovewell) fl. 1913 autograph letter signed to Hugo ...

Dickinson, Bertha (Lovewell) fl. 1913 autograph letter signed to Hugo ...

Custin, Maurice H., fl. 1913 autograph letter signed to Hugo Münsterbe...

Dickinson, Bertha (Lovewell) fl. 1913 autograph letter signed to Hugo ...

Deane, Hadley, fl. 1914 typed letter signed to Hugo Münsterberg, San L...

Colonade to Foreign Arts Building (Panama-California Exposition)

Book Title: Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915, portfolio (38 gelatin silver prints).Artist: Francis Bruguiere.Artist Bio: American, 1879 - 1945.Creation Date: 1915.Process: gelatin silver print.Cred... More

Mabel and Fatty viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco, Cal. /

Comedy co-stars Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand take viewers on a tour of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. The antics of Fatty and Mabel are accompanied by shots of Exposition attractions, ... More

Indian Arts Building (Panama-California Exposition)

Book Title: Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915, portfolio (38 gelatin silver prints).Artist: Francis Bruguiere.Artist Bio: American, 1879 - 1945.Creation Date: 1915.Process: gelatin silver print.Cred... More

Edwards, J T, fl. 1916 typed letter signed (signed per H.B.) to Hugo M...

Visitors read wayside exhibits at Split Rock, Wyoming

Two people stand in front of three exhibits while looking at a large rock buttress landmark called Split Rock, with sagebrush in the foreground.

Francke, Kuno, 1855-1930 manuscript poem, Berkeley, Calif, 6 July 1916

Public domain scan of a poetry manuscript, poem, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description.

San Francisco's future / motion picture

By mid-1916, after viewing the carnage in Europe, the United States saw itself poised with great reluctance on the edge of participation in World War I. Isolationism and anti-preparedness feeling remained stron... More

Aerial photographs - California - Coronado

California - Coronado Public domain photograph - aerial photo, work of US government, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Aerial photographs - California - Coronado

California - Coronado Public domain photograph - aerial photo, work of US government, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description