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It’s been 113 years since the earth shuddered beneath San Francisco, sending buildings tumbling and igniting a fire that would burn for days and consume half of the city. Hundreds died, thousands were left homeless, and the city itself was forever changed.
Little remains from that day — April 18, 1906 — but at 1:30 p.m. on the anniversary of the earthquake, a few tangible bits will go up for sale by the Swann Auction Galleries of New York.
Forty photographs, most taken by unknown photographers, are included in the Classic and Contemporary Photographs auction. They show the immediate aftermath of the quake — buildings listing to one side, piles of rubble in the streets, smoke rising up from the ruins — while others show the aftermath of burned out shells of buildings that were either consumed by the fire or blown up in efforts to stop the seemingly unstoppable flames.
Some have handwritten notes of locations and the names of neighborhoods and buildings, while others speak for themselves with their black-and-white imagery.
A spokeswoman for the auction house said the photos are from a private collector and likely were amassed by an individual shortly after the earthquake.
The photos not only capture a historic moment in time, they also are perhaps the beginnings of a love story we have with photography. An earthquake today would be recorded instantly in photo and video, posted on YouTube and Instagram. Even though photography was still relatively new in 1906, many professionals and amateurs realized the importance of recording for posterity what was happening.
More than a century later, their instincts have been proven correct.
The collection is expected to bring $2,000 to $3,000.
