Zoom for Detail by clicking the "+" buttom on the base of the map. To Pan, click and drag the cursor on the image and in the direction you wish to pan. The tools at the lower left of the image frame allow for zooming.
San Francisco QTVR Panorama (1851)
The original seven panel daguerreotype panorama, taken from First and Howard Streets, is one of the earliest and most historic photographic recordings of the city.
In 1851, in the midst of the rapid growth brought on by the Gold Rush, an anonymous photographer captured San Francisco in its entirety. This QTVR historic virtual tour allows one to step back in time to witness San Francisco on the cusp of tremendous transformation. The ships moored off shore brought pioneers and gold seekers around the tip of South America. As few of these ships would make the return journey, they were sunk in the bay and dirt filled in, creating the land upon which sits today's Financial District.
Historic photography courtesy of the California Historical Society ©2000. Composite panoramic imagery presented by Thomas Bachand, ©2000.