The archival collection I chose to examine was the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Digital Collection which provides historical evidence of the devastating natural disaster and the city\u2019s response through numerous photographs. This is a compilation of selected holdings from many different sources and libraries around the area totaling around 14,000 images and 7,000 pages of historical text. The material presented also includes a full introduction on the project website with interactive exhibits for further audience engagement.<\/p>\n
Based on the materials in this collection we are able to decipher a lot about what actually happened during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The evidence selected contributes to many different themes such as quakes before 1906, damage the quake and the ensuing firestorms created, and the relief\/reconstruction effort by the city. For example, much of the photographs show images of ruined homes, schools, landmark buildings, and simply mounds of rubble which truly show the impact of the disaster. In conjunction with the devastation, many of the photographs highlight the resiliency of the city where we see images of people attempting to rebuild structures and provide aid to those affected by the earthquake.<\/p>\n
Altogether, the audience is presented with a narrative of resiliency and redemption through photography. If my narrative were based entirely on this collection, I believe a more personal and relatable element to this story would be omitted. A majority of the photographs I looked at simply displayed the physical dominance the earthquake and following fire\u2019s had on the city but did not really demonstrate the emotional\/mental toll it had on the people living there. One can only draw so much from the photographs provided that do include people in them and therefore the narrative might be very different than that of what an audience member may deduce. In that way, we observe the system of positivism in the way the project team chose to select their evidence.<\/p>\n
Since the collection only included photographs, in order to address these gaps, things like newspaper articles, transcripts of dialogue, and medical records are things that would fulfill the more humanistic side to the devastating effects of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.<\/p>\n