San Francisco's dramatic topography has challenged and inspired artists from the Gold Rush onward.  They recognized the city's special setting, including the "magic light," that unique atmospheric condition that occurs as the sun sets beyond the Golden Gate casting a luminous glow over the city.  Artists have tried to capture the magic, creating drawings, photos, and paintings from every possible vantage point, of which there are many.

The earliest way of conveying San Francisco's imagery to a wide audience was through prints, lithographs, etchings and engravings.  Never produced in large numbers by today's standard, these prints are now scarce, some almost unobtainable, and all highly collectable.  Reproduced in this portfolio is a selection of twenty engravings and lithographs representing well-known and lesser-known artists who contributed to San Francisco's visual history through the medium of popular prints.