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Rare prints and maps...Since 1918! Click here to go to Darvill's home page.

Since Adirondack Retro acquired Darvill's Rare Prints in August of 2022, we have been working tirelessly on our New State-Of-The Art Website. We are excited to announce that it is now up and running and that our massive inventory of Antique Prints and Rare Maps are being transferred over to the new site daily. In addition to the nearly 500,000 prints found on www.DarvillsRarePrints.com, Adirondack Retro offers an eclectic selection of Antique and Vintage Advertisements along with their Limited Edition Giclee Prints. During this transition, customers will still be able to shop and make purchases on www.DarvillsRarePrints.com.

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PPIE at San Francisco, CA 1915

In 1915, San Francisco held one of the most fantastic World's Fairs the country has ever seen—the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
Ostensibly to honor the completion of the Panama Canal, the exposition went much further in its grandeur and broad scope as these photos attest.


These are authentic photos from the official expo photographers, the Cardinell Vincent Company. Most have the embossed stamp of the photographers and are generally
in very good to excellent condition with minimal warping, foxing, etc. (which are quite common to photos that are 100 years old).

Please click on the thumbnails for enlargements.
You are encouraged to visit www.sanfranciscomemories.com for more history and background of the P.P.I.E.

Darvill's Rare Print Shop was located in San Francisco in the late 1920s through the 1930s and our founder, Fred T. Darvill, Sr., amassed a huge collection of original PPIE photos. We are proud to offer them here.
Please check back often, as we are constantly adding to the site from this impressive historical treasure of original photographs.

The photos below are the original 1915 P.P.I.E. photos that were printed on heavy photo paper and would have been sold to fair-goers. They are not modern reproductions!
The photos are generally in very good to excellent condition, but they are over 100 years old and some mild warping of the paper is to be expected. Any major flaws will be noted.

To jump to a certain type of original antique photograph from the PPIE, please click on one of the below links
The Mullgardt Tower

original 105+-year-old photos from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915, held in San Francisco, California

Art Smith 'Bird Boy'
Art Smith 'Bird Boy'
PEOPLE-1
(real photo postcard 5 1/2" x 3 1/2" with usual postal printing on back – unused)

Condition issues: slight waviness to paper, per usual

$15
(BW)
Art Smith 'Bird Boy'
Art Smith 'Bird Boy' circling the Tower of Jewels
PEOPLE-1B
(real photo postcard 5 1/2" x 3 1/2" with usual postal printing on back – unused)

Condition issues: slight waviness to paper, per usual

$15
(BW)
2 Dedication of Gulow Pavilion
Dedication of Gulow(?) Pavilion
April 10, 1915
PEOPLE-2
(12 3/8" x 4 3/4")

Condition issues: right side paper loss

$20
(BW, thinner paper)
2 Dedication of Gulow Pavilion
Dedication of Gulow(?) Pavilion
April 10, 1915
PEOPLE-3
(12 3/8" x 4 3/8")

Condition issues: none

$20
(BW, thinner paper)
Insurance Day April 21 1915
Insurance Day
April 21 1915
PEOPLE-4
(12 7/8" x 7 3/8")

Condition issues: corner bend upper left, unevenly trimmed

$40
(SEPIA, thinner paper)
Insurance Day April 21 1915
Insurance Day
April 21 1915
PEOPLE-5
(13" x 8")

Condition issues: unevenly trimmed

$40
(SEPIA, thinner paper)
6 Liberty Bell Day PPIE
Liberty Bell Day
July 17 1915
PEOPLE-6
(13 3/4" x 10 3/4")

Condition issues: upper left corner damage

$40
(B/W)
6 Liberty Bell Day PPIE
Liberty Bell Day
July 17 1915
PEOPLE-7
(13 1/2" x 11 3/4")

Condition issues: none

$45
(B/W)
Important Features Panama-Pacifice International Exposition
Important Features
Panama-Pacifice International Exposition
PEOPLE-8
(19 1/2" x 29 3/4")

Condition issues: paper loss upper right corner, tears in upper edge, corner bend upper left

$150
(B/W)
NOTE: additional shipping may be required for this extremely large photograph. We will send an invoice for any necessary addition.
Important Features Panama-Pacifice International Exposition
Important Features
Panama-Pacifice International Exposition
PEOPLE-9
(18 1/2" x 28 3/4")

Condition issues: long tear at top that was unfortunately sealed with old "sticky tape" which has turned yellow over the years. A paper conservator could repair this.

$125
(B/W)
NOTE: additional shipping may be required for this extremely large photograph. We will send an invoice for any necessary addition.
6 Liberty Bell Day PPIE
Liberty Bell Day
July 17 1915
PEOPLE-10
(30 1/2" x 19 3/8")

Condition issues: multiple tears around edges, old sticky tape used to close tear left middle, paper loss lower left

$95
(B/W)

NOTE: additional shipping may be required for this extremely large photograph. We will send an invoice for any necessary addition.
To jump to a certain type of original antique photograph from the PPIE, please click on one of the below links
The Mullgardt Tower

Panama-Pacific International Exposition home page