This horizontal, sepia-toned photograph from the early twentieth century shows a wide, paved pedestrian landing along the edge of a calm body of water. On the left, a low masonry wall with decorative rectangular pillars and recessed panels runs parallel to the shoreline. The landing itself is a broad, light-colored expanse that extends to a metal railing at the water's edge in the middle ground. Across the water, a shoreline is visible with several large, multi-story houses and buildings nestled among dense trees. At the bottom center of the image, small white text is imprinted directly onto the photograph: "NEW $20,000.00 BOAT LANDING, LAKE MERRITT, OAKLAND, CAL.". The sky is pale and featureless, reflecting on the surface of the lake. Below the photograph, a horizontal color calibration strip with various colored squares and a grayscale step wedge is visible against a dark background.