Alcatraz Island lies in San Francisco Bay opposite the Golden Gate, its institutional buildings with red roofs and rows of windows clustered on a point of land. A small steamboat crosses the open water in the foreground, with the San Francisco shoreline visible beyond.
The island served as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, and the caption notes that federal prisoners called it "The Rock." From a plane, the caption says, it looks like "a huge dismantled warship."
Printed caption on the back reads "ALCATRAZ ISLAND, SAN FRANCISCO BAY" followed by a descriptive paragraph on the island; series number 116. Front scan appears rotated so the shoreline runs across the frame; no printed text or white border visible on the front. Flat, poster-like color typical of lithographic printing.
No postmark, no stamp, no handwritten message. Undivided back ("THIS SPACE FOR ADDRESS ONLY"), glossy chrome-era card with National Color Press imprint ("MADE BY THE NATIONAL COLOR PRESS, SAN FRANCISCO"). Dealer pencil mark "#59 / 1-" in lower right corner.
Cite this card
Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, CA, circa 1940, postcard, c. 1940. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/alcatraz-island-san-francisco-bay-ca-circa-1940. Accessed November 2, 2026.
