California Street, Looking East from Montgomery Street, San Francisco — Watkins

An orange-mount stereoview showing a busy commercial street from an elevated position. Horse-drawn wagons and carriages pass pedestrians along the crowded sidewalks. A tall, partially cropped telegraph sign and a pole with two crossarms dominate the near foreground; beyond them, sunlight picks out the elaborate façades on the left while the opposite frontage falls into deep shade.

The unprinted pink reverse carries a faint but largely legible pencil caption: “VIEW EAST - ALONG CALIFORNIA / STREET SOUTH SIDE FROM / MONTGOMERY.” Read with the San Francisco imprint, this identifies the south side of California Street, looking east from Montgomery Street. The identification comes from handwriting on the card, not a printed view title.

The front mount bears the series imprint “Watkins’ Pacific Coast,” with the address “26 Montgomery St., opp. Lick House Entrance, San Francisco.” The opposite margin advertises photographic views of California, Oregon, and the Pacific Coast, together with views made to order. The imprint establishes the Watkins issue, but neither a date nor a printed individual view number is evident. Additional ink and pencil notations on the reverse remain unexplained.

Two side-by-side photographs on an orange-faced card with a pink reverse, measuring 6.93 × 3.5 inches. The photographs retain clear architectural detail, and the card appears clean and sound overall, without major visible damage.