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 consists of stereographs and cartes de visite published by opticians Lawrence and Houseworth of San Francisco between 1860 and 1870, with the bulk of images produced between 1863 and 1866. Most of the photographs were likely taken by Charles Leander Weed. The images primarily document California and Nevada, and include photographs of Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Yosemite. They include pictures of natural features such as Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake, the geysers of Sonoma county, and the Mammoth Sequoia trees in Calaveras county. There are images of hydraulic mining, major sea ports, and important buildings and intersections in San Francisco.
