Antique & Vintage Postcards

Dozens of sleek brown sea lions sprawl and bask across the wave-battered Seal Rocks just off the Cliff House in San Francisco, their rust-colored bodies piled in glorious, barking chaos against the churning Pacific — a scene so beloved it was protected by act of the California legislature and drew thousands of curious visitors daily to what was already one of the city's most iconic vantage points. This striking linen card, number 96 in Stanley A. Piltz's celebrated "Pictorial Wonderland Art-Tone Series," captures the colony in rich ochre and teal tones that are quintessential of the genre's saturated palette. The back carries Piltz's characteristic printed description panel explaining the legislative protection of the seals and the crowds they attracted — a feature that made his series educational as well as decorative. The card was never mailed, preserving the linen surface in clean, bright condition.