Depicting scenes of collapsed, off-kilter, and partially intact buildings-- one image captures the “New Post Office” built of stone and still standing, surrounded by the remains of less modern infrastructure; warped and cracked streets and roadways showing deep, gaping crevices; a few scenes (primarily by W.E. Worden) capturing the city as it burned; and panoramic birds-eye views highlighting the extensive, sprawling devastation caused by the disastrous earthquake-fire combination. 4 photographs in the collection document the displacement caused by the catastrophe, depicting the “Tent Cities” which formed at Golden Gate Park for those with nowhere else to go.

Following the quake, photographers rushed to the streets in an effort to document this undoubtedly historic event, and whether or not they were aware, these photographs quickly became desirable mementos and collectibles for those that lived through the ordeal. The California-based photographers represented in this collection include Willard Elmer Worden (5), Charles C. Pierce (11), Frederick Arthur Webster (8), A. Blumberg (2), Shaw & Shaw (2), among others mostly captioned but uncredited.