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Photographs of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Aftermath
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Consists of a collection of 49 photographs made during the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire, which spread rapidly throughout the city on April 18, 1906, causing massive destruction and displacement. There are photographs taken by a number of California-based photographers, including Willard Elmer Worden, Charles C. Pierce, Frederick Arthur Webster, A. Blumberg, Shaw and Shaw, and others.
The photographs depict scenes of collapsed, off-kilter, and partially intact buildings, with one image capturing the "New Post Office" built of stone and still standing, surrounded by the remains of less modern infrastructure. There are also images of warped and cracked streets and roadways showing deep, gaping crevices; a few scenes (primarily by Willard Elmer Worden) showing the city as it burned; and panoramic birds-eye views highlighting the extensive devastation caused by the earthquake and fire. Several photographs in the collection also document the "Tent Cities" that formed at Golden Gate Park to house those who had been displaced. Following the earthquake, photographers rushed to the streets in an effort to document the events, and these photographs quickly became desirable mementos and collectibles for those who lived through them. It is unclear who assembled this collection of photographs, though they may be one such collector. Most photographs are captioned but uncredited.
Purchased from Daniel Oliver Gallery in 2021 (AM 2021-084).
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in June 2021. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in June 2021 based on dealer description.
No materials were separated from the collection during 2021 processing.
People
- Worden, Willard, 1868-1946
- Pierce, C. C. (Charles C.), 1861-1946
- Webster, F. A. (Frederick Arthur), 1860-
- Blumberg, A.
Organization
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Kelly Bolding
- Finding Aid Date
- 2021
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was sponsored by the Delafield Fund.
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
2 folders