"San Francisco's Cable Cars," circa 1950

01

Artifact Overview

San Francisco installed its first cable railway in 1873. Cars were pulled by an underground cable powered from a central station. Other cities built similar railways, but most removed their complex cable-based systems once electric streetcars became practical. San Francisco kept three cable car lines, which worked well on the city's hilly streets. They remain a beloved community symbol.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Postcard

Date Made

circa 1950

Subject Date

circa 1950

Creator Notes

Published by Mike Roberts Color Productions, Berkeley, California; distributed by Geo. H. Eberhard Company, San Francisco, California.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

86.9.1.1515

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Dorothy Guimaraes.

Material

Cardboard
Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Photomechanical processes

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 3.5 in (folded)
Width: 5.5 in (folded)

Inscriptions

Text on back reads: SAN FRANCISCO'S CABLE CARS / Crossing at California and Powell Sts. are tow of / San Francisco's famed cable cars. Looking down / California a portion of the San Francisco-Oakland / Bay Bridge an be seen in the distance.