1906 Destruction of San Francisco by Earthquake and Fire, April 18th, 1906.

By: Francis Ficke

Date: 1906 (published) San Francisco

Dimensions: 13.5 x 37 inches (34.3 x 94 cm)

This vintage lithograph depicts the city of San Francisco as it began to burn, and remarkably was published in the city in the very year of the fire. Along the bottom border of the image are noted various buildings which were lost to the fire, and the general area of Telegraph Hill. Buildings named include the Hall of Justice, the Kohl Building and the Merchants Exchange to name a few. Its subtitle reads: "Every building shown in the above picture was destroyed by the great fire."

The earthquake struck at 5:12 AM on a Wednesday morning. Despite having a magnitude of 7.9, most of the damage and loss of life was caused by the subsequent fires that raged throughout the city and lasted for several days. In the end, a little more than 80% of the city was destroyed and over 3,000 lives were lost. To this day the earthquake and fires of 1906 ranks as the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history and high on the lists of American disasters.

Condition: This original lithograph is in B condition with slight foxing in some areas of the image. 

Inventory #11657

1932 S. Halsted St. #200 Chicago, IL 60608 | P: (312) 496 - 3622