Abstract Lawrence and Houseworth were one of the main publishers of stereoviews on the West coast around the 1860s. They sold views primarily of California and Nevada, and the majority of their photographs are of nature scenes, and the wonders of California's redwoods, geysers, lakes and mountains. The collection contains commercial formats - stereographs and cartes de visites. They were taken by photographer Charles Leander Weed and published by Lawrence and Houseworth, who did a brisk business...

Abstract Thomas Houseworth and Co. is the company continued by Thomas Houseworth after his partner George Lawrence retired in 1869. Houseworth was an optometrist and stereograph merchant located in San Francisco, Calif. The images in this collection contain reprints of Lawrence and Houseworth images, as well as newly created images. Houseworth was a major player in the stereograph market until the early 1870s, and he took numerous measures to make sure his work remained viable, including introducing...