Product Details

Lot of 13 vintage color snapshots, 3.5x5 prints, documenting a January 1974 visit to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, shortly after the former federal prison opened for public tours. Several prints carry legible photo-lab date stamps reading "1.19.74" or "19 74" on the right border, confirming the date. Subjects include distant boat-approach views of the island with the cellhouse and lighthouse, close-up cell block interiors with numbered cells (9, 10, 11), an open barred gate with a woman in a red jacket, a catwalk with wire mesh railing, an empty cell with bare bed frame and sink, a wide industrial hall with a lone metal drum, a dilapidated laundry/industries building with an "AREA CLOSED for your safety" warning sign, tourists near a water tower, and a hazy shot of an American flag over the bay. One additional unrelated snapshot shows a tiered building with a partially legible painted sign reading "LA SALLE," possibly a hotel, unconfirmed location. All photos are color prints showing typical 1970s color shift (pink/magenta tones), with some fading and soft focus consistent with amateur snapshots of the era; overall condition is good with minor wear. This cohesive set offers strong documentary value on early Alcatraz tourism and prison ruins. Associated with the estate of USAF Col. Patricia Jane Harrington. Please review photos for condition.