PBA Galleries

Tinted lithograph. 31x42 cm (12¼x16½") plus title at bottom, on sheet 44x59.5 cm (17x23½").

Rare and entertaining view of the post office in the fast-growing city of San Francisco. OCLC/WorldCat lists only two examples, at the Library of Congress and the National Library of Australia. The description of the latter copy is quite entertaining, if a bit curious: "This hand coloured lithograph depicts the Post Office in San Francisco with its large queues of people applying for letters and newspapers. The outbreak of a fight can be seen possibly the result of queue-jumping. The discovery of gold caused a massive increase in the population and maritime activity in San Francisco. On arrival in the city many miners sought lodgings in the shanties, tents and houses of 'Sydney Town' on Telegraph Hill. The post office linked them with home before they would trek to the diggings. The early San Francisco Post Office was located on the corner of Pike and Clay Streets. It had four entrances for the public, consisting of two general delivery areas, an entrance for Spanish speakers and a newspaper delivery admission on the side. The post office was a busy area in the centre of town which often had long queues of people. Located next door was the Old Garret House which burnt down in February 1856 and was occupied by prostitutes. During the gold rush Australian post offices began to emerge in mining camps as they grew into more permanent settlements. The decade of the 1850s was a period of high activity for the Australian postal system which was under heavy strain due to the influx of people and the growth in the Australian economy." The description of the Library of Congress copy is more succinct: "Print shows long lines at each of four entrances to the post office at Pike and Clay streets in San Francisco, California; a comment on postal service, impatience, and human nature."