California History Two Stereoviews of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

San Francisco Earthquake

Photograph

Two Stereoviews of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire document the destruction of the city following the April 18 disaster, including ruptured streets, burned and leveled blocks, scattered debris, and the altered streetscape facing toward San Francisco Bay. The earthquake and ensuing three days of fires killed more than 3,000 people, destroyed approximately 28,000 buildings, and left more than half of the city’s population homeless. These views preserve close-range evidence of the damage encountered in the northeastern portion of San Francisco during the immediate aftermath.

Two Stereoviews photographs, San Francisco, 1906. The paired images show extensive destruction looking toward the Bay. One view records broad fissures or breaks along a paved street; another shows entire blocks reduced to burned ruins, with objects positioned or scattered along the roadway. Some of these objects may be outdoor cooking arrangements of the type established after the disaster, when damaged chimneys and the danger of renewed fires led authorities to prohibit indoor cooking until buildings could be inspected. Contemporary records confirm that residents were required to cook in the streets, although the specific objects visible in these photographs cannot be identified with certainty from the supplied description.

The photographs date from a disaster that transformed San Francisco’s built environment and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents. In addition to recording structural devastation, the street-level views preserve evidence of how public space changed as damaged infrastructure, debris, and emergency domestic activity moved into the roadway. Both stereoviews are in excellent condition.

Item #11746

Price: $285.00