California Views Historical Archives

Created in 1970 as a way to share historic photos with the public, California Views Historical Artchives is located on the Central Coast and houses nearly 82,000 images. This is the most comprehensive photo archive in the Monterey Bay area. The photographs are available for publication, research, and historical displays, or for personal use like being displayed in a home or office. Most of the images are one of a kind and the Archives are kept under glass or in negative form. Prints can be made in just about any size. The images are available for licensing and users pay a one time non-exclusive fee for use. Just over 21,000 of the images are of Monterey County. The Archives are open from 11 am until 5:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Some of the more popular images available in the Archives include Johnson's Daguerreian Rooms in San Francisco, the Cliff House, the Mission in San Luis Obispo, Secret Beach, Pacific Grove, the Carmel Mission, Lovers Point Beach, Alvarado Street, Point Pinos, the Chinese Fishing Village in Pacific Grove, and the Santa Barbara Mission. A partial list of available images is available online, but if you are looking for something that is not listed on the online database, just visit or call the Archives.