Vintage Original 35mm Kodachrome Slide: San Francisco Skyline from USS Toledo June 1956
Location: San Francisco waterfront and skyline, viewed from San Francisco Bay.
Date: June 1956, based on handwritten mount inscription reading “San Francisco Skyline 6-56. From USS Toledo (CA 133) leaving port.”; Kodachrome red-border mount with three lines of type was in use 1955-1959.

Item Description
A broad shipboard view looks across San Francisco Bay toward the city’s northern waterfront and densely built hills. Coit Tower rises prominently above Telegraph Hill at left, while long waterfront piers and industrial buildings extend across the shoreline below. Mid-century apartment houses, hotels, and commercial buildings climb the surrounding hills beneath a clear blue sky. The wide expanse of open water in the foreground emphasizes the departing shipboard viewpoint.

Key Photographic Elements
The handwritten inscription identifies the viewpoint as the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Toledo, giving the image unusually specific naval and travel provenance. The slide documents San Francisco’s waterfront and skyline in 1956, before later redevelopment substantially altered portions of the shoreline. Coit Tower, Telegraph Hill, the working piers, and the layered hillside architecture create a detailed record of the mid-century city, while the departing warship perspective adds interest for collectors of San Francisco, naval history, military service, and maritime photography.

Condition Report
The slide retains attractive blue tones, balanced daylight exposure, and clear detail throughout the waterfront and skyline. Slight atmospheric softness is visible in the more distant buildings, along with a mild cool-blue cast and scattered small dust specks and minor surface marks. There is no severe fading, heavy scratching, or significant blur, and the principal architectural features remain clear and presentable. The original cardboard mount shows normal age-related wear and handwritten identification but remains intact.