Donald A. Hall Sr. with Solid-Wood Plank Surfboard at San Diego Beach (Circa 1927)

Donald A. Hall in tank swimsuit standing with a 10-foot solid wood surfboard on a San Diego beach. — Donald A. Hall Sr. with Solid-Wood Plank Surfboard at San Diego Beach (Circa 1927) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

An archival personal photograph capturing Donald A. Hall Sr. standing on a San Diego beach beside an upright 10-foot solid-wood plank surfboard. Wearing a 1920s dark wool tank swimsuit, Hall stands barefoot on the sand beside the board, which towers above him, while a bystander in a three-piece suit walks along the shoreline in the background. This photograph documents Hall's participation in early Southern California surf culture during the period he was designing the Spirit of St. Louis.