I chose to explore the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Digital Collection, an archival collection of photographs and historical text that recounts the 1906 natural disasters and the relief efforts that followed. The collection comprises approximately 14,000 images and 7,000 pages of text and is primarily housed at the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, California.
Many of the photographs show buildings, homes, and landmarks that were affected by the earthquake and fire, all of which come together to show the tremendous and devastating impact that the disasters had on the city of San Francisco. Collectively, the images give a comprehensive view of the disasters’ reach through depicting ruined residential areas, schools, office buildings, and churches. Furthermore, many images depict relief efforts and the reconstruction of the city, which show progression and create a story that allows users to learn about not only the destructiveness and aftermath of the disasters, but also the massive efforts to reconstruct and mend the city. This creates a story of progression and emphasizes the city’s ability to move past a considerably devastating loss.
While we are able to tell historical narratives regarding how and where the city was affected, we have information primarily on the impact on the physical structures and landscape of the city, rather than the people and residents of San Francisco. There are few photos that show people or families, and this lack of archival resources cuts out a significant chunk of the stories we are able to draw from this collection.
Because we are only able to draw limited perspectives from the photos and other artifacts in this collection, it may be necessary to examine other primary sources, such as interviews, written accounts, newspapers/articles, radio clippings, etc. from other databases and collections.
I think you are accurate in stating that without many photographs of people, that there is a significant limit of possible narratives. Structures can only tell us so much, and it is important to also study the effects on humanity. Good thinking in suggesting that newspaper articles be included in the examination of this event!
I also did my blog post on the effects of the San Francisco earthquake, and I agree that it is important to also look at other data sources such as news articles and interviews. Since a lot of the photographs were about buildings and landscapes affected by the earthquake, it could also miss out on more personal moments such as people’s reactions to the disaster. However, it did also focus on relief efforts and showed groups of people working together, so studying those images could also create a more well-rounded narrative with different social and economic factors.