This 1910 card shows a painting of the breakers along the shore and a pier at Long Beach, California. Long Beach is one of the great shipping ports of California, full of ship yards and industry today, but look how beautiful it is at this point in time.
The pier shown in this postcard later became the Rainbow Pier. In the 1920s – 1930 time frame the pier was expanded to the full semi-circle that became known as the Rainbow Pier for its rainbow shape and the bright and multi-colored light posts along its rim.
The old photo at the top of this history page on “The Pike” or Rainbow Pier at Long Beach, CA amusement center, operated by Charles I.D. Looff, shows the pier as it looked in this postcard, probably in 1902. The painting above may be older than the actual card dated 1910, because it does not show the Cyclone roller coaster which either has not been built yet, or is just behind the painter’s view.