found photos

Wondrous Wulzen

New old photos of San Francisco to goggle over.

Woody LaBounty

Aug 19, 2026 • 5 min read

New old photos of San Francisco to goggle over.

My old friend David Gallagher (F.O.W. #1) is still doing great work sharing historic photos of the San Francisco Bay Area with the public. In the past I have highlighted some of his updates, including the masterful photography of Samuel M. Crow and the James A. Martin slides (we did not know Martin’s identity at the time, but David figured it out.)

David just put up a new batch of scans from some beautiful glass-plate negatives mostly taken at the dawn of the 20th century. I’ll let him describe them, interspersing a few of my favorites from this collection now on SFMemory.org.

“These 179 scans represent the last of pharmacist/photographer Dietrich H. Wulzen, Jr.’s (1862-1946) photos held by the Wulzen Family.

Wulzen pharmacy — Wulzen Drug Store on the southwest corner of Castro, 17th, and Market streets (Market Street ended here at the time), June 15, 1899. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00024)

“Wulzen’s son, Frank, donated much of his father’s work to various institutions in the 1980s and 1990s, leaving about 400 or so in the possession of his family.

Spaulding house on Castro Street — Site of the Castro Theater (Castro between 17th and 18th streets), April 28, 1901. The windmill and water tank at the Spaulding house call back to when the neighborhood was considered remote and off San Francisco's grid. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00026)

“Warren Wulzen contacted me last year hoping to find a home for the 6 ½ x 8 ½ inch glass plates of San Francisco and Bay Area views, as well as family portraits and views of Yosemite from the early 1900s.

View to Corona Heights — View north from 21st and Castro streets, June 28, 1900. Corona Heights with Gray Brothers brick factory in the background at left. Two cable cars passing at 19th Street. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00319)

“Wulzen owned a pharmacy at 17th and Castro streets (now the site of Muni’s Castro Street Station), was a member of the California Camera Club, and a longtime Eureka Valley resident.

Wulzen pharmacy interior — Interior view of the Wulzen Pharmacy, southwest corner of Castro and 17th streets. The location is now at the entrance to the Castro Street Muni station (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00330)

“Many of my favorites in the set include vistas of the growing neighborhood from the then-undeveloped hilltops around Wulzen’s drugstore.

View to Dolores Heights — View from about State Street in Corona Heights southerly toward 17th and Castro streets, circa 1901. Noe Street heading uphill to Dolores Heights in the background. Wulzen's pharmacy building at Castro and Market at lower right. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00355)

“In the process of seeking a home for these original negatives, I was able to convince both the Wulzen family and the staff at the History Center at the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) that they belonged in San Francisco. The plates have been donated to SFPL.

Protestant Orphanage — View from Waller and Buchanan streets to the Protestant Orphan Asylum on the block bounded by Haight, Buchanan, Hermann and Laguna streets. Check out the cool masonry wall. I featured this view in a previous post. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00020)

“I love these images, was honored to possess the plates for a short time, and am very happy to present them to the public on SFMemory.org.”

View to Twin Peaks — Circa 1900 view westerly from Cumberland Street near Noe Street with houses on Noe Street in the foreground and homes at 20th and Castro streets in the center. Grassy slopes of Twin Peaks in the background. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00345)

Thanks David! Here are some more Wulzen wonders from the batch that caught my eye:

Mission Dolores and the Gothic Revival parish church (dedicated February, 1884) along Dolores Street at 16th Street, April 14, 1899 (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, (SFMemory/sfm020-00011)

Mission bells — Mission Dolores bells from inside, October 23, 1901.(D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00012)

Hartford Street view — Cookie-cutter developments did not start in the 1950s! View north of the east side of Hartford Street between 17th and 18th streets, July 25, 1901. Check out the guy watering his plants. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00333)

Laguna and Clay street house — 2129 Laguna Street at Clay Street, looking west from Lafayette Square. The house (alas, gone today) was the home of Henry T. Scott, president of Union Iron Works. President William McKinley was staying at the house during his visit to San Francisco in May 1901 and a crowd formed to try and catch a glimpse or a wave. (D. H. Wulzen, Jr. photograph, SFMemory/sfm020-00017)

See the whole set of 179 negatives at SFMemory.org.

More Wulzen magic can be seen in my Grab Bag post on the early days of Eureka Valley (open to view by all).

Woody Beer and Coffee Fund

Just to be clear, you can have a drink with me—coffee, tea, smoothie, beer—for free. Nice people like Judy H. (F.O.W.) contribute to the Woody Beer and Coffee Fund so that I can flash cash around time looking to purchase beverages and listen to tall tales. You can even tell me the truth if you want.

I have to head out of town for the next few days, but late August and September are looking good for some sipping of beverages with friends in the greatest city in the world.

Let me know when you are available!

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