Camera Obscura in Cliff House?
| The Camera Obscura adjacent to the present day Cliff House may have had a predecessor. The blueprints clearly call out a "Camera Obscura Room" in the NW tower... |
Roof Page, NW
corner
2nd Attic Page,
NW corner
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Further evidence comes from an advertising brochure by Taber Photography, published in San Francisco in 1895, entitled "Sutro Baths, Cliff House, Sutro Heights"... "The attic is used chiefly as a means of approach to the rooms in the turrets, three of them fitted up as private dining rooms, and the fourth containing the largest camera obscura west of Chicago." (full text) |
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Although the blueprints show the Camera Obscura in the NW tower, photographic evidence suggests it may have resided in the SW tower instead... |
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This ladder appears in many photographs....a permanent fixture for cleaning and/or adjusting the camera aperture? |
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Other photographs showing the SW tower... |
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Note: I do not see the structure in the last two photos, possibly it was added or removed at some point? |
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The above view appears to show not only the ladder, but also a rope lassoed over the top. Also note again the very distinct difference between the NW and SW towers. |
Update 16 Jan 2014: John Martini located the below receipt in the San Francisco Public Library History Center (link)...
.jpg)
"Placing Camera Obscura in the Gate House by the Lumber Yard & Same Lens to Mr
Harrison"
Mr. Harrison was Sutro’s foreman for much of the construction of Sutro Baths.
Likely the “Gate House by the Lumber Yard” referred to the construction site at
the Baths. - John Martini
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Yet here, after the 1896 Cliff House has already opened for business, we have a reference to a camera obscura being planned for "Merry street". Possibly a change of plans by Sutro? |
San Francisco Call - 7 Mar 1896
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So was there a Camera Obscura in the 1896 Cliff House? This is where the trail runs cold as there's no further reference in the newspapers or photographic record to confirm that the camera was actually installed in the Cliff House itself. There was however a functioning Camera Obscura installed at the Chutes, per the below clippings... |
San Francisco Call - 18 July 1898
 San Francisco Call - 14 Aug 1898 |
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Present day Camera Obscura
on terrace
(for reference)
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http://brightbytes.com/cosite/sanfran.html