Contemporary Album of Early California Photographs by Taber
Pre-Earthquake Views of San Francisco and Rare Views of Southern California:
San Diego's New Town, San Diego Mission, Santa Barbara Mission
An elegantly bound contemporary album of twenty-two original albumen photographs of California scenes. The photographs are all large cabinet cards of the so-called boudoir format, and all but one are by the pioneering San Francisco photographer I. W. Taber. In addition to iconic images of San Francisco street cars, the Golden Gate from Telegraph Hill, the Cliff House, and the like, there are a few rare images of Southern California, including a fine rarely seen bird's-eye view photograph of New Town San Diego, and views of the San Diego and Santa Barbara Missions.
Palmquist and Kailbourn describe Taber as "one of the most prominent and ambitious west coast photographers of the last third of the nineteenth century." In the winter of 1875-1876 Taber acquired the entire inventory of Carleton Watkins' Pacific Coast Views negatives, which jumpstarted his bid to become the premier photographer of the West Coast. Also an innovator, Taber installed direct telephone lines to San Francisco's best hotels in an effort to garner the tourist trade. He outfitted his "Photograph Parlors" at 8 Montgomery Street (corner of Market), with luxurious furnishings and installed a newly developed electrically controlled camera that allowed one-second exposures, particularly handy when making portraits of children. In 1885 Taber pioneered a method to photographically enlarge the printing of fingerprints for the use of criminal justice.
The final photograph in the album is by noted Mormon photographer Charles Roscoe Savage. It depicts the main platform or deck of the Central Pacific railroad transfer steamer "Solano" docked at Port Costa (which is also shown from a different perspective in the first Taber photograph of the album). The Solano carried its first train in 1879 and was supposedly the largest such vessel in its day. This marvel of a steamer carried entire train engines and cars across the Carquinez Strait between Benicia and Port Costa, California, on the Central Pacific and the Southern Pacific mainline connecting Sacramento with Oakland on the extension of the original Transcontinental Railroad.
Here follows a list of the photographs, including Taber's catalogue number from the caption within the negative on each image:
1. B 195. Ferry-boat "Solano," on the Sacramento River, Cal. Mounted on verso of front flyleaf. One-inch tear at lower left corner.
2. B 1271 Telegraph Hill. Cable, R. R.
3. B 589 The Golden Gate from Telegraph Hill, San Francisco.
4. B 1707 Conservatory, Golden Gate Park.
5. B 1701 Cliff House.
6. B 508 Seal Rock, Pacific Ocean.
7. B 522 Market Street from Third Street, San Francisco, looking east. [A bustling street scene with horse-drawn trolley cars, dozens of pedestrians in motion]
8. B 70 Palace Hotel, San Francisco, Cal.
9. B 25 Court, Palace Hotel, S. F., Cal.
10. B 517 California Street from Sansome Street, San Francisco. [Street cars]
11. B 5 Chinese Restaurant, S. F., Cal.
12. B 3 Chinese Restaurant, S. F., Cal. [Street facade of three-story Chinese restaurant building]
13. B 528 Chinese Josh-House, S.F., Cal.
14. B 51 Hotel del Monte, Monterey, Cal.
15. B 388 Arizona Garden, "Hotel del Monte," Monterey
16. B 264 Cypress Point
17. B 1309 Arlington House, W. N. Cowles, Prop
18. B 1317 Big Grape-vine near Santa Barbara.
19. B 1313 Santa Barbara Mission, founded in 1786
20. B 1301 San Diego, New Town [light soiling]
21. B 1327 Old San Diego Mission, founded in 1769, [some foxing or soiling in the sky]
22. C. R. Savage, Photo. C. P. Transfer Steamer, Port Costa, Cal. [Charles Roscoe Savage photograph of Central Pacific transfer steamer "Solano," at Port Costa. Tipped to recto of rear free flyleaf. Heavy soiling and staining]