Large 1877 map of the San Francisco waterfront.
Map Showing the Water Front of the City and County of San Francisco. as established by the Board of State Harbor Commissioners, the Governor of the State of California, and the Mayor of the City & County of San Francisco. September 12th, 1877.
Out of stock
Description
This is a large panoramic map of the San Francisco waterfront stretching from South Basin to the edge of the Presidio. It was originally published in an important pamphlet regarding proposed changes to the seawall between the city and San Francisco Bay, titled: “Report of the Board of State Harbor Commissioners on the New Water-Front Line of San Francisco, to the Legislature of the State of California 1877-8.”
The map is oriented with west at top, maintaining focus on the water front by extending the visible area inland by only a limited number of city blocks. It depicts parts of many San Francisco neighborhoods; from left to right (i.e. south to north), we see parts of today’s Candlestick Point, Hunter’s Point, Dogpatch, Mission Bay, South Beach, the Financial District, North Beach, Russian Hill, and the Marina.
With many street names that no longer exist, now long-covered marsh lands, and filled-in tidal areas, this sweeping map offers an interesting view of San Francisco’s evolving waterfront and embarcadero in the late 19th century.
Cartographer(s):
Britton & Rey (1852 – 1906) was a lithographic printing firm based in San Francisco and founded by Joseph Britton and Jacques Joseph Rey in 1852. Especially during the second half of the 19th century, Britton and Rey became the leading lithography firm in San Francisco, and probably California. Among their many publications were birds-eye-views of Californian cities, depictions of the exquisite landscapes, stock certificates, and no least maps. While Rey was the primary artist, Britton worked not only as the main lithographer but was essentially also the man running the business. In addition to their own material, the firm reproduced the works of other American artists like Thomas Almond Ayres (1816 – 1858), George Holbrook Baker (1824 – 1906), Charles Christian Nahl (1818 – 1878), and Frederick August Wenderoth (1819 – 1884). Following Rey’s death in 1892 Britton passed the form on to Rey’s son, Valentine J. A. Rey, who ran it until the great earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed most of the company’s assets.
Joseph Britton (1825 – July 18, 1901) was a lithographer and the co-founder of the prominent San Francisco lithography studio Britton and Rey. He was also a civic leader in San Francisco, serving on the Board of Supervisors and helping to draft a new city charter. In 1852, he became active in lithography and publishing, first under the name ‘Pollard and Britton,’ and then ‘Britton and Rey,’ a printing company founded with his friend and eventual brother-in-law Jacques Joseph Rey. Britton and Rey became the premier lithographic and engraving studio of the Gold Rush era, producing letter sheets, maps, and artistic prints.
Jacques Joseph Rey (1820 – 1892) was a French engraver and lithographer born in the Alsatian town of Bouxwiller. At the age of about 30, he emigrated to America, eventually settling in California. Here, he soon entered into a partnership with local entrepreneur and civic leader Joseph Britton. Three years later, Rey also married Britton’s sister, allowing his business partner and brother-in-law Britton to live in their house with them. Rey and Britton were not only an important part of the San Francisco printing and publishing scene but also owned a plumbing and gas-fitting firm. In the early years, both men would sometimes partner up with others on specific projects, but by the late 1860s, their partnership was more or less exclusive.
Condition Description
Joined and backed on linen. Minor loss and some discoloration and offsetting.
References
![[1906 EARTHQUAKE PANORAMA – FINANCIAL DISTRICT]](https://neatlinemaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screen-Shot-2023-02-06-at-6.55.56-PM-300x300.png)
