Another Cliff House souvenir

Click here to view it larger.

This old tintype, measuring about 3.5 x 2.25 inches, is a little dark, but I love it for two reasons. First, it’s an example of people sitting in a prop car in a studio, which is a weird little genre I’ve grown to love for some reason. Second, it shows San Francisco, where I live. A few weeks ago I posted a similar picture (here) depicting people in a “car” in front of an image of the Cliff House. But this one is older, showing the version of the Cliff House that existed from 1896 to 1907. (The poor thing kept burning down.) The version here is the most glorious one, and must have been amazing to see. It’s interesting that the woman standing in the middle appears to be casting a bit of a shadow on the backdrop, suggesting that while the image is intended to create the illusion of a sweeping vista, the actual space was rather cramped.

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