Ransohoff’s Fair Trip, 1939

This 1939 home movie captures Ransohoff’s department store staff outing to the Golden Gate International Exposition on March 12th. Chartered buses, adorned with "Ransohoff’s Goes to the Fair" banners, roll from an empty Market Street via the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island. Employees wave pom-poms from sightseeing trams in a pre-opening visit, then enjoy party games—musical chairs, races—and a banquet in a hall, shifting from faded color to black-and-white, blending festivity with pre-war cheer.