Finding Aid to the Destruction of San Francisco Photograph Album 1906 SFP 115
Finding aid composed by Norman Yee
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
2023
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
Title: Destruction of San Francisco Photograph Album
Identifier/Call Number: SFP 115
Physical Description:
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)
Date: 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.
Physical Location: The collection is stored on site.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English.
The collection is available for use during Photo Desk hours.
No copyright clearance needed as photographs in the photograph album are in the Public Domain.
[Identification of item], Destruction of San Francisco Photograph Album (SFP 115), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco
Public
Library.
Source of acquisition: Gift
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.
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
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.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906.
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906 -- Pictorial works.
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Earthquake and fire, 1906.
Photographic prints.
Postcards -- California -- San Francisco
Photograph albums.
Amateur works