Urbano Lopez’s lithographic print shows San Francisco around the time of the 1849 California gold rush. Lopez, most likely of Mexican descent, depicted the “City by the Bay” right before its population boom. This 10 1⁄8" by 12 5⁄8" print illustrates the various buildings and landscape features that distinguished the city. The city’s customs house, jail and city hall are recognizable as the three largest buildings in the image.
Not much is known about Lopez. His signature can be seen in the foreground, to the right of the two figures looking over the city. This same signature can be found on a number of 19th-century prints of city vistas and Mexico City street scenes and interiors. It is not known if Lopez himself ever traveled to Europe; however, lithographic publishers in Paris printed some of his work for the European market.