Publisher: Scheff
I. Scheff and Bros. (brothers Isadore and David Scheff) published postcards in San Francisco for a few years right after the 1906 earthquake. The firm appears in city directories from 1906 through 1909 (as "I. Scheff & Bro.", not "I. Scheff & Bros." or "J. Scheff & Bros." as on the cards below; see detailed notes). Earlier directories do not list the company or either brother, so I'm guessing they came to San Francisco around the time of the earthquake. Some cards credit "J. Scheff & Bros" (see below; possibly a third brother?). Two 1907 articles in the San Francisco Call (11/17/1907, 11/24/1907) name Isadore Scheff in relation to a police crusade against obscene postcards; the only example I've seen is here (hot stuff!). The Scheffs do not appear in the 1910 directory or in 1910 San Francisco census records, so presumably they moved away in 1909 or 1910. Catalog: Scheff lists some Scheff postcards.
I. Scheff & Bros. ephemera:
- An 11/06/1906 letter to Jack London asks permission to publish postcards with London's image.
- A receipt lists a sale of 200 postcards for $4 plus 200 postcards for $2.50.
A brief paragraph at metropostcard.com (archived) describes the Scheff firm in S.F., and just below it lists "I. Scheff Engraving Co., Inc. (New York 1930s-)", probably related.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The credit on the unnumbered cards at left and center above reads "J. Scheff & Bros, San Francisco, Berlin, Prag." Other undivided back cards on this page use a different back and credit "I. Scheff & Bros., San Francisco, Berlin." instead. "J. Scheff" could be another brother or a misprint for "I. Scheff", though misprint is unlikely as "J. Scheff" appears on several Scheff cards.
- Another example of Scheff is postmarked SF 11/01/1907, so it must date from 1906 or 1907.
- Scheff (postmarked SF 5/17/yyyy, year not printed; another example postmarked SF 7/18/1906) shows the pre-quake Hearst Building at 3rd/Market with a delightful array of futuristic conveyances, including a monorail resembling the Wuppertal Schwebebahn (opened 1901). Publishers in other cities issued similar cards using local sites, as described in Looking Back at the Future in SFBAPCC 1/2005 newsletter.
- Scheff (addressed but not mailed): the sail shows a colorized version of the post-quake Van Ness image from Scheff 91. The written message refers to a recent fire that destroyed a single building (SW corner Van Ness/Post), not to the great fire following the earthquake.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Three of these cards are from Scheff's b+w "San Francisco in Ruins" series.
- Scheff 73 is the lowest stock number of my Scheff numbered postcards. It looks N toward Russian Hill from the SW corner of Hyde / California. The photo is taken from the ruins of the California St. Cable Railway Company building, hence the tangle of cables in the foreground; see Earthquake/Fire: S.F. in Ruins for details.
- Scheff 75 shows a post-quake breadline, looking SW from Jackson/Laguna.
- Scheff 78 shows the Hall of Justice after the fire.
- Scheff 79, postmarked SF 9/21/1906, is miscaptioned "South of Market St. looking north." It looks SE from ca. Mason/Bush past Temple Emmanu-El and Union Square toward the Call Building. Behrendt 205 shows the same image.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Van Ness was a posh residential street pre-quake, but many homes became stores or restaurants during the post-quake rebuilding of downtown.
- Scheff 85 (postmarked SF 2/20/1907) shows Tait's restaurant on the left and The Old Poodle Dog restaurant on the right.
- Scheff 91 looks north on Van Ness; the same image appears colorized on the "San Francisco's Future" card above and on the novelty foldout card below. Britton & Rey 1029 and Pacific Novelty 11 are similar views from a block further north.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Beautifully printed post-quake b+w Scheff postcards show neighborhood life, an uncommon subject for cards of the period.
- Scheff 88 (postmarked SF 4/03/1908): Mission St. near 21st.
- Scheff 93: Fillmore St., South from O'Farrel [sic] St.
- Scheff 94: Looking West McAllister Street at Fillmore.
- Scheff 95: Golden Gate Ave., near Webster.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Scheff's divided back color cards postdate the undivided back cards above.
- Scheff 132 (postmarked SF 8/02/1908) shows the upper level of Sutro Baths, including a postcard kiosk ("Views").
- Scheff 135 (postmarked SF 11/17/1908).
- Scheff 159 (postmarked SF 3/15/1908).
- Scheff 155 (postmarked SF 6/19/1909).
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
- Scheff 110. Sutro Heights: Parapet shows many similar images.
- Scheff 155. Weidner 239 shows the same image.
- Scheff is an unnumbered novelty card with a foldout showing tiny post-quake San Francisco views, including the Van Ness and Fillmore views above.
- Scheff, postmarked SF 5/28/1907, was issued and sent during the violent 1907 San Francisco streetcar strike. The front of this example shows dim remnants of an erased message written in pencil.
Steve's SF postcard pages:
