Everyday Life and People

Subject:

Social Sciences

Institution Name:

University of California

Collection:

Calisphere - California Digital Library

Grade Level:

Primary

Abstract:

The images in this group offer a glimpse of daily life in California during the mid-1800s in big cities like San Francisco and in smaller, rural towns like Dixon and Nevada City. These photographs show some of the everyday people of the time, as well as the shops, saloons, and other establishments that served them.

Many people who came to California to strike it rich eventually abandoned their dreams of gold. They stayed in California and worked as farmers or merchants, relaxing in saloons or coffee houses and marrying and raising families. This group contains several portraits captured in Daguerreotypes and cased photographs that depict a variety of everyday people: a young Gold Rush widow in black mourning attire; a gold seeker with a pick axe, a pan, and a gun; and a farmer and wagon maker (who founded the town of Dixon in 1852), alongside images of his two children.

Languages:

English

Material Type:

Primary Source

Media Format:

Graphics/Photos, Text/HTML, Downloadable docs

Conditions of Use:

Custom License