Old photos of San Francisco

What the photos show

The 14 photographs of San Francisco on PlaceWas span 4 decades, from 1906 to 2023. 3 of them were taken before 1980; the other 11 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.2 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.13 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.