[Miles Brothers]
Photograph of The "House of Mirth" a Tent for Refugees of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, 1906
Silver print
7 x 9 inches
Photographer's credit in negative.
Photographer's credit in negative.
A poignant image showing “the house a mirth,” a temporary shelter in Jefferson Square for victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The shack took its name from...
A poignant image showing “the house a mirth,” a temporary shelter in Jefferson Square for victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The shack took its name from the best-selling 1905 novel by Edith Wharton. It is festooned with ironic signage reading, “Ring the Bell for Landlady,” “Furnished Rooms with Running Water, Steam Heat, and Elevator,” and “No Peddlers.” The image was published as a stereoview with the caption “fun making by earthquake refugees,” and it speaks humor as a form of resilience amidst trying times.