Henry Firks’ San-Francisco 1849 beautifully and dramatically tells the story of the impact of the Gold Rush on the port of San Francisco.

A small trading post on the verge of becoming a major port city, this 1849 view identifies forty-two ships, four stores and one hotel. To complete the pictorial narrative, Firks shows a dozen or so tents in the foreground – an indication of the temporary housing provided for newly arrived gold seekers and merchants eager to capitalize on the 2.5 million ounces of gold that passed through dealers’ hands that year.

Ships and structures are numbered according to the index that appears below the image. Among the dozens in the bay, Firks names the American ships “Huntress” and “Philadelphia (burned June 24th)”; the French schooner “Chateaubriand”; and, the Danish ship “Adelia”.

On shore, he identifies the Customhouse (just behind the American flag); Parker’s Hotel; and, the S.H. Williams and Co. Store.

The original lithograph is hand-tinted with a pale blue sky and the yellow-green vegetation and light golden hills of early summer. Our Perfect Recreation™ captures every detail of this rare and important document of the start-up of a great city in a spectacular setting.