California
Postcard & Image Gallery

State Capitol and Grounds, Sacramento, Cal.
Antique postcard from the private collection of Valerie Mockaitis. Published by Newman Post Card Co, Los Angeles, Cal. Made in Germany. Postmarked 1909.

All the statuary shown here on the roofline were lost during the 1906 restoration. The two currently on either side of the pediment are reproductions.

 
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Rear View State Capitol, Sacramento, California.
Antique postcard from the private collection of Valerie Mockaitis. Made in America by Edw H. Mitchell at San Francisco. Postmarked Nov 8, 1910.

The unusual rear facade and beautiful grounds of this capitol are the subject of many postcards.

 
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State Capitol, Sacramento, Cal.
Antique postcard published circa 1905, postmarked 1918.

The slightly aerial vantage point used for this view has been a popular one for many postcards.

 
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The Old State House, Benicia, Calif. Capitol of California in 1853.
Antique postcard published circa 1910.

This is one of several capitol buildings California had before the current Sacramento capitol was completed. It was built in 1852 to be the Benicia City Hall. When offered for use as the state capitol, the offer was accepted, and the building served as capitol from February, 1853 to February, 1854.

 
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Colton Hall. First State Capitol of California. Monterey.
Antique postcard. Copyright 1902 by Detroit Photographic Co.

This would have been a Mexican territorial capitol since California became a State in 1850 and Monterey was the Alta California Territory's capital until 1846.

 
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State Capitol. Sacramento, Cal.
Antique postcard published circa 1905.

The gold-toned embossing on this series of postcards gives the buildings some odd color. Embellishments like embossing and glitter were popular on early postcards.

State Capitol, Sacramento, Cal.
Antique postcard published circa 1905.

This view is the same as the one above, except for the gold-tone embossing. Even the sky is the same.

State Capitol, Sacramento, Cal.
Views of American Scenery.
Partial stereoscopic card published circa 1870. Photographer: John James Reilly. Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.

The complete card includes two similar views side by side which give a three-dimensional image when viewed through a stereoscope.

The California State Capitol. Sacramento, Cal.
Antique postcard published circa 1905 by Raphael Tuck & Sons. Printed in England.

The Tuck Oilette state capitol series contained 45 capitol views, all with the state's seal medallion and added pedestrians for interest. Alaska and Hawaii, of course, were not states in 1905, and neither were Oklahoma (1907), New Mexico (1912), or Arizona (1912).

California State Capitol, Sacramento, Cal.
Antique, embossed postcard published circa 1905 by S. Langsdorf & Co. Publishing, New York, N. Y. Made in Germany.

This series of state capitol views uses the same photograph and state seal medallion as the Tuck series above, though it is by a different publisher. The colors are a bit different, and the ornate, embossed border results in a very different effect.

Golden Poppy, California State Flower
State Capitol. Sacramento, Cal.
Antique postcard published circa 1910.

 
 
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