The Palace Hotel is now—and has been—one of the most famous and beautiful landmarks in San Francisco. This grande-dame of hotels was built by the banker, William Ralston, in 1875.

In this powerful composition, we can see a one-legged newspaper vendor on Montgomery Street, with the imposing Palace Hotel in the background. If you look closely on the left, you can see the photographic galleries of Watkins, Taber, Boyd and Houseworth. Watkins certainly does justice to this San Francisco centerpiece!