John Freeman observes...  (7/18/2009)

"This image is significant because it is 1913, the year that Parcel Post was established by the US Postal Service. The Post Office, I think, got into the parcel business also because of the advent of trucks. Earlier 2 and 4 cylinder auto engines couldn't handle heavy loads, but by about 1911, they were building bigger engines and thus larger vehicles. The hills of San Francisco were a great promotional site to show the auto navigating the steep grades. The tour buses of the day had shown the way with a load of passengers to the Cliff House, why not show a new Parcel Post vehicle doing the same thing?

The Real Photo Post Card has all the bells and whistles. I think it's more than a casual photo taken when the postal service was delivering in the neighborhood. This 1913 card is a statement about the "new" parcel post service, taken at an iconic location, on the hill in front of the Cliff House."