A wide-angle, black-and-white photograph taken from the water shows a shoreline with a prominent hill in the background. In the foreground, the water of the bay is textured with small ripples. Several large sailing vessels with multiple masts and furled sails are anchored or moving in the midground near the shore. The shoreline features a series of industrial and commercial wharves and low-lying buildings extending along the water's edge. Behind the waterfront, a large, rounded hill rises, its slopes dotted with numerous small houses and structures. A vertical "KODAK GRAY SCALE" and a color calibration strip are positioned along the left edge of the image. Small white text at the bottom center of the photograph reads: "B 920 View of Telegraph Hill and Water Front, S. F., from the Bay." To the right of this, additional text reads: "Taber Photo, San Francisco."
