Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:678 Mission St.
San Francisco, California
Tel:
(415) 357-1848
Peruse oil paintings, costumes and lithographs and explore an unforgettable photo-history of California!
Dedicated to preserving, interpreting, publishing and exhibiting materials about California, the California Historical Society provides an invaluable record of the various histories of the people of the state. Founded in 1871, the Society has an enormous repository of "Californiana" including 150,000 manuscripts, thousands of books, periodicals, and paintings, as well as Gold Rush paraphernalia.
Visitors to the California Historical Society will surely enjoy the airy, sky lit space and central gallery. There are over 5,000 works of art that represent the history and art history of California from pre-Gold Rush days to the early decades of the 20th century, comprised of oil paintings, drawings, costumes, lithographs, and decorative arts. Visitors of all ages will love the massive photography collection which boasts nearly half a million images, documenting the history of California in both the 19th and 20th centuries, and everyone will enjoy the guided walking tours where visitors can indulge in the amazing architecture of California. If looking for further study, check out the North Baker Research Library (accessible by appointment only), that includes a well-stocked bookstore.
To reach the California Historical Society from the Peninsula: Highway 101 North or Highway 280, use Seventh St. off ramp, go north on Seventh and turn right on Mission. From the East Bay: Bay Bridge to Fifth St. off ramp and north on Fifth, turn right on Mission St. From Marin County: 101 South (Golden Gate Bridge), proceed on Doyle Drive (Marina) to Lombard, turn right on Van Ness Avenue, turn left on Eddy St., cross Market St., and turn left on Mission St.
From California Historical Society - San Francisco:
Our collections support the mission of the Society to collect, preserve, interpret, publish and exhibit materials about California and to provide an invaluable record of the various histories of the people of this state.