Bledsoe’s panoramic photo of the Great White Fleet, May 7, 1908 is in the holdings of the Library of Congress. It shows a panoramic view of San Francisco from Twin Peaks. The Presidio and Golden Gate (sans bridge) occupy the left background of the image. Golden Gate Park with its conservatory and the panhandle occupy the center left. Center foreground shows a water tank I used to walk by on my way to work at UCSF. Market street can be discerned to center right, angling toward Yerba Buena Island (again, sans bridge). Treasure Island has not yet been built. The reconstruction after the 1906 earthquake is evident, and Teddy Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet” is visible in the Bay to the right.
Dated May 7, 1908
Photograph by J. W. Bledsoe.
In the holdings of the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007660691/
Photograph of the same location, taken by Richard Delwiche 99 years later.
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