PostalPast
← Back to browse

Aerial view of Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, circa 1940

Subjects
Aerial Views & PanoramasWaterfronts & Harbors
Card type
Real photo
Front of Aerial view of Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, circa 1940, real photo postcard
Front
Back of Aerial view of Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, circa 1940, real photo postcard
Back

About this postcard

Aerial view of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, with the walled prison compound, cellhouse and outbuildings clustered on the rocky island and the city skyline rising across the water behind it. The card labels the scene simply "Alcatraz Island, San Francisco." The island served as a U.S. Army post and military prison from the 1850s until 1933, when it became the federal penitentiary remembered for inmates such as Al Capone and Robert Stroud; the large cellhouse visible here was built by military labor in 1912.

Postcard Details

Message

No message detected

PublisherJ. C. Bardell
ALCATRAZ ISLAND SAN FRANCISCO --- ALCATRAZ ISLAND Resembling a huge battleship Alcatraz Island is known as "the rock." Discovered in 1775 by Lt. Juan Manuel D. Ayala it was given the name Alcatraces meaning isle of the pelicans. Used as a disciplinarian barracks by the United States Army it became a Federal prison for civilian incorrigibles in 1934. Published by J. C. Bardell, San Francisco, California POST CARD THIS SPACE FOR ADDRESS ONLY PLACE ONE CENT STAMP HERE
Addressed to

No address detected

Postcard record

PublisherJ. C. Bardell
ConditionGood
Place depictedAlcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA
Place depictedSan Francisco, CA
NotesBlack-and-white print with a wide white border; light toning and a few stains along the edges. No postmark, address, or message — unused card. Undivided back with "THIS SPACE FOR ADDRESS ONLY" and a one-cent stamp box; white border on the front; caption notes Alcatraz became a Federal prison in 1934, so the card dates after that. Light soiling and edge wear.

Cite this card

Aerial view of Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, circa 1940, postcard, n.d.. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/aerial-view-of-alcatraz-island-san-francisco-california-circ. Accessed October 25, 2026.