Rare Old Map of San Francisco, California by USGS, 1950 – Sausalito, Tiburon & Golden Gate
Restored in our London workshop from the original map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in the USA
My maps are rare, museum-grade, restored old maps sourced from libraries, auction houses and private collections across the globe. Full description
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Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
Own a piece of history
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“San Francisco North,” issued by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1950 using survey data from that same year, captures the northern half...
Continue reading“San Francisco North,” issued by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1950 using survey data from that same year, captures the northern half of the city and its dramatic meeting of ocean, bay, and headland at a pivotal postwar moment. At 1:24,000 scale, it presents San Francisco with the disciplined precision of modern federal cartography: streets, blocks, shorelines, piers, military reservations, parks, and elevation are all rendered with scientific clarity. The map’s title is spare, but the geography it contains is anything but—stretching from Ocean Beach and Land’s End to the Golden Gate, from the Presidio and Fort Mason to the dense urban neighborhoods facing San Francisco Bay.
The cartographic language of the U.S. Geological Survey gives this map its particular authority and elegance. Fine contour lines describe the city’s celebrated terrain: the climb toward Twin Peaks, the ridges above the Pacific, the steep approaches to the Presidio, and the softer lowlands near the waterfront. Color-coded relief and careful hatching make the topography legible at a glance, while the grid and dense street pattern reveal San Francisco as both a natural amphitheater and a rigorously planned urban landscape. Unlike pictorial tourist maps, this is a working document of terrain, infrastructure, and place—its beauty emerging from exactitude, proportion, and the quiet confidence of official survey work.
The map is especially compelling for its treatment of the Golden Gate, where land, water, weather, and engineering converge. The Presidio of San Francisco commands the southern approach, while the Marin Headlands rise across the strait, framing one of the most iconic maritime passages in the world. Sausalito and Tiburon appear to the north, each occupying a distinctive position along the bay’s irregular edge, while Angel Island and Alcatraz Island sit in the waters between city and county. These names evoke layers of military, immigrant, maritime, and civic history, all set within the physical drama of steep slopes, narrow channels, and tidal expanses.
Within San Francisco itself, the map records neighborhoods and landmarks at a moment of transition after World War II. North Beach, Chinatown, the Tenderloin, the Mission District, Golden Gate Park, and the city’s waterfront are shown before later waves of redevelopment, freeway construction, demographic change, and gentrification transformed many familiar streetscapes. Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge speak to the infrastructure and ambition of the mid-twentieth-century Bay Area, while Ocean Beach and the Pacific coastline retain their elemental presence at the city’s western edge. The map’s urban blocks are not merely graphic units; they are a snapshot of a living city poised between wartime legacy and metropolitan expansion.
As a historical topographical document, “San Francisco North” offers more than orientation—it preserves a highly specific vision of the Bay Area in 1950. The U.S. Geological Survey’s mission to provide reliable scientific information about the nation’s land and resources is visible in every contour, shoreline, road, and built-up district. Here, public policy, military geography, urban planning, and natural form meet on a single sheet. For San Francisco, a city defined by steep hills, seismic history, maritime gateways, and restless reinvention, the map is both practical record and cultural artifact: a measured portrait of one of America’s most storied landscapes at the dawn of the modern Bay Area.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- San Francisco
- Sausalito
- Tiburon
- Angel Island
- Alcatraz Island
- Golden Gate
- Ocean Beach
- Presidio of San Francisco
- Fort Mason
- Land's End
- Bay Bridge
- Treasure Island
- Candlestick Park
- Mission District
- North Beach
- Chinatown
- Tenderloin District
- Twin Peaks
- Golden Gate Park
- Marin Headlands
- Pacific Ocean
- San Francisco Bay
- Multiple streets and avenues, with specific names not listed
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map produced using survey data from 1950.
- Created by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for reliable scientific mapping and information about land, natural resources, and the environment.
- Uses a clear grid representation for organized geographic reference.
- Features extensive contour lines to show elevation changes across the landscape.
- Includes color-coded relief hatching to convey topographical features.
- Urban areas are delineated with detailed blocks.
- Shows varied terrain, including hills and lowlands typical of the Bay Area.
- Reflects a specific post-World War II period in the region’s development.
- Documents the area before later urban, infrastructural, population, and neighborhood changes.
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
“San Francisco North,” issued by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1950 using survey data from that same year, captures the northern half of the city and its dramatic meeting of ocean, bay, and headland at a pivotal postwar moment. At 1:24,000 scale, it presents San Francisco with the disciplined precision of modern federal cartography: streets, blocks, shorelines, piers, military reservations, parks, and elevation are all rendered with scientific clarity. The map’s title is spare, but the geography it contains is anything but—stretching from Ocean Beach and Land’s End to the Golden Gate, from the Presidio and Fort Mason to the dense urban neighborhoods facing San Francisco Bay.
The cartographic language of the U.S. Geological Survey gives this map its particular authority and elegance. Fine contour lines describe the city’s celebrated terrain: the climb toward Twin Peaks, the ridges above the Pacific, the steep approaches to the Presidio, and the softer lowlands near the waterfront. Color-coded relief and careful hatching make the topography legible at a glance, while the grid and dense street pattern reveal San Francisco as both a natural amphitheater and a rigorously planned urban landscape. Unlike pictorial tourist maps, this is a working document of terrain, infrastructure, and place—its beauty emerging from exactitude, proportion, and the quiet confidence of official survey work.
The map is especially compelling for its treatment of the Golden Gate, where land, water, weather, and engineering converge. The Presidio of San Francisco commands the southern approach, while the Marin Headlands rise across the strait, framing one of the most iconic maritime passages in the world. Sausalito and Tiburon appear to the north, each occupying a distinctive position along the bay’s irregular edge, while Angel Island and Alcatraz Island sit in the waters between city and county. These names evoke layers of military, immigrant, maritime, and civic history, all set within the physical drama of steep slopes, narrow channels, and tidal expanses.
Within San Francisco itself, the map records neighborhoods and landmarks at a moment of transition after World War II. North Beach, Chinatown, the Tenderloin, the Mission District, Golden Gate Park, and the city’s waterfront are shown before later waves of redevelopment, freeway construction, demographic change, and gentrification transformed many familiar streetscapes. Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge speak to the infrastructure and ambition of the mid-twentieth-century Bay Area, while Ocean Beach and the Pacific coastline retain their elemental presence at the city’s western edge. The map’s urban blocks are not merely graphic units; they are a snapshot of a living city poised between wartime legacy and metropolitan expansion.
As a historical topographical document, “San Francisco North” offers more than orientation—it preserves a highly specific vision of the Bay Area in 1950. The U.S. Geological Survey’s mission to provide reliable scientific information about the nation’s land and resources is visible in every contour, shoreline, road, and built-up district. Here, public policy, military geography, urban planning, and natural form meet on a single sheet. For San Francisco, a city defined by steep hills, seismic history, maritime gateways, and restless reinvention, the map is both practical record and cultural artifact: a measured portrait of one of America’s most storied landscapes at the dawn of the modern Bay Area.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- San Francisco
- Sausalito
- Tiburon
- Angel Island
- Alcatraz Island
- Golden Gate
- Ocean Beach
- Presidio of San Francisco
- Fort Mason
- Land's End
- Bay Bridge
- Treasure Island
- Candlestick Park
- Mission District
- North Beach
- Chinatown
- Tenderloin District
- Twin Peaks
- Golden Gate Park
- Marin Headlands
- Pacific Ocean
- San Francisco Bay
- Multiple streets and avenues, with specific names not listed
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map produced using survey data from 1950.
- Created by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for reliable scientific mapping and information about land, natural resources, and the environment.
- Uses a clear grid representation for organized geographic reference.
- Features extensive contour lines to show elevation changes across the landscape.
- Includes color-coded relief hatching to convey topographical features.
- Urban areas are delineated with detailed blocks.
- Shows varied terrain, including hills and lowlands typical of the Bay Area.
- Reflects a specific post-World War II period in the region’s development.
- Documents the area before later urban, infrastructural, population, and neighborhood changes.
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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