Destruction of San Francisco Photograph Album, 1906

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Summary

Title:
Destruction of San Francisco Photograph Album
Dates:
1906
Abstract:
This photograph album consists of 95 gelatin silver prints and 8 lithograph printed postcards documenting the 1906 Earthquake and Fire in San Francisco, California by an unidentified creator and photographer. Most of the photographs show the ruins of San Francisco shortly after the earthquake and fire. Examples include photographs of the city burning, views of destroyed buildings and streets, recognizable buildings (the old City Hall, Temple Emanu-El on Sutter Street, The Emporium department store, the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park) as well as many unrecognizable street and building views. A significant portion of the photographs are accompanied by captions.
Extent:
1 photograph album with 95 photographic prints and 8 lithograph printed postcards; album 10 x 12.5 inches, prints primarily 4.5 x 6 inches, 8 lithograph postcards. (1 album)
Language:
Collection materials are in English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Destruction of San Francisco Photograph Album (SFP 115), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This photograph album consists of 95 gelatin silver prints and 8 lithograph printed postcards documenting the 1906 Earthquake and Fire in San Francisco, California by an unidentified creator and photographer. The leather bound album begins with a hand-drawn page with the title "The Destruction of San Francisco," along with a drawing of a man expressing horror on his face as he views the city on fire. Most of the photographs show the ruins of San Francisco shortly after the earthquake and fire. Examples include photographs of the city burning, views of destroyed buildings and streets, recognizable buildings (the old City Hall, Temple Emanu-El on Sutter Street, The Emporium department store, the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park) as well as many unrecognizable street and building views. A significant portion of the photographs are accompanied by captions. There are also a few photographs that show signs of efforts to clear rubble and rebuild The photographs begin on subsequent pages, numbering 1 to 4 photographs per single sided page on gray album paper. The gelatin silver prints are printed on several different types of photographic paper, suggesting they may have been made by different photographers. A majority of the prints measures 4.5 x 6 inches while the remainder are of various sizes, both smaller and larger, including five panoramic views

Biographical / historical:

The photographer/creator of this album is unknown.

Recognized by the United States Geological Survey as one of the most significant earthquakes in history, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake struck the coast of Northern California at 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. Devastating fires soon broke out in San Francisco and lasted for several days. More than 3,000 people have been estimated to have died, and over 80% of the city was left in ruins resulting in up to 300,000 people rendered homeless out of a population of approximately 410,000. The event is remembered as the deadliest earthquake in the history of the United States.

Acquisition information:
Source of acquisition: Gift
Arrangement:

This album is arranged on gray album paper with 1 to 4 prints to a page. Only 1 side to each page is used. Some prints have fallen out of their original order and have been grouped together within the album.

Physical location:
The collection is stored on site.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid composed by Norman Yee
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-11-14 22:32:00 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is available for use during Photo Desk hours.

Terms of access:

No copyright clearance needed as photographs in the photograph album are in the Public Domain.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Destruction of San Francisco Photograph Album (SFP 115), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Location of this collection:
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102, US
Contact:
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
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