Account of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire From 1906

The archival collection I chose to observe this week is an account of the San Francisco earthquake and fire that occurred in 1906; the photographs contained in this collection depict the extensive impact that these unfortunate calamities affected San Francisco. My initial thoughts with this assemblage of images is the importance that they would have to its photographers. Numerous photos include dark clouds, which implies that fires are still active or are just beginning to secede. These photographers are potentially putting their lives on the line to document the tragedies, yet they know the importance of documenting the struggles and fortitude the citizens of San Francisco had during this endeavor. The reason one should archive disasters such as this is not to relive the nightmares and horrors but to come to terms with the past and overcome any fears that may stay with its survivors. The silver lining that comes from adversity such as this is that it reminds people that nothing is forever; what you may have now could not be there tomorrow so cherish today and not let it go to waste.  

The pictures captured what remained after the fire: crushed buildings, cremated houses, and tents everywhere. Remnants of treasured items litter the floor. Little is left actually intact; the citizens of San Francisco have had their livelihoods taken away from them, yet this does not deter them. They stand back up and help their fellow man survive this catastrophe. The pictures in this archive also depict the effects of the earthquake. Multiple shots within the archive exhibit both teetering and damaged buildings. Some buildings were even fully crushed, even the roads and ground were demolished. Destruction is just everywhere.

This archive exclusively consisted of photography of the fire and earthquake in San Francisco in 1906. It is understandable that the primary documentation of this event would be photos, yet I imagine that this archive could have had news clippings or articles on this event by newspapers or individuals who experienced this calamity. As it is now, the narrative of the collection is solely dependent on the photographs. The audience does not have a clue where specifically in San Francisco the fire spread through or the exact strength of  the earthquake or how many may have died. Articles and journals would be able to fill in this gap. In addition to this, any video footage could give the audience a clearer idea of how the fire and earthquake unfolded and how the citizens reacted to all this turmoil. These are all factors that the photographers of this archive could not control and even the limitations of details in their photos stemmed from the fact that cameras were not as advanced as they are today. The photographers did an outstanding job in capturing the sentiments of these events and immortalizing it in this imagery and documenting the San Francisco citizens ability to survive.

8 comments

  1. Hi @patrickgonzalvo, your thoughts on the San Francisco Fire collection of photographs was really well written. Even though I had looked at the archive myself, I believe I would have been able to appreciate your post just as much if I had not. I loved how you acknowledged the effort of the photographers and the dilemma they potentially faced, between danger and capturing the photo. Thanks for sharing!

  2. I agree with your conclusion that more materials are needed for context with these photos. While a picture can say a lot, it can’t tell the full story. What is needed are articles and personal accounts to further explain the full narrative.

  3. I agree with your claim that there could be a more diverse array of materials. However, do you think the purpose of this archive could be more of a complementary archive? Since the earthquake is already very well documented, do you think the author(s) of this archive were attempting to allow people to create their own personal narratives?

  4. I loved how you summarized the archive you were looking at. I didn’t do this collection for my blog post but I do agree with you that the documentation of the earthquake was definitely dangerous. Also, during events like this, little documentation is made because of the lack of resources.

  5. I agree with the idea that this collection could have use a lot more information to fully round out the events that happened in 1906. I think it would have been useful as well as interesting to have first hand accounts or even interviews from people that experienced these tragedies. Without these news clippings, interviews, or other coverage of the events in San Francisco, there is silence created. Like you said, these photographs are up for interpretation and each person may have different accounts or views of what happened.

  6. I thought your analysis was very thorough. I liked the connection you made between the photos captured in this archive and how it tells the narrative of this event. I also like how you focused on analyzing the photos in this archive.

  7. Hi there,
    Great analysis of the archive! I enjoyed reading your post, as you clearly explained the collection of photographs and the missing sources that could have made the archive a more accurate representation of the San Francisco earthquake. What about personal accounts of the earthquake, however? Do you think documentations of interviews and personal narratives describing first-hand experiences would be helpful?

  8. I loved your analysis. You are great at describing the photos and contents. You also had a great insight on how there needed to be more documentation rather than just photos. The inclusion of articles and journals would have helped the collection immensely. Great post and insight!

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