Today if we turn on the television or read the news on the internet, we'll see up-to-date information on the terrible destruction of the earthquake in Japan. In 1906 the earthquake that struck San Francisco registered approximately 7.9 on the Richter scale, much less than the recent earthquake in Japan. Yet it left the city in ruins, as much from the ensuing fire as from the earthquake itself. An estimated 3,000 people were killed and nearly two thirds of the city's residents were left homeless. Instead of the internet and television, the destruction of this earthquake was documented in newspapers and with postcards.
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| Wait a minute...is that dog lifting its leg? |
Although these photos and many other postcard photos of the San Francisco earthquake were very dark and grainy, the National Museum of American History recently uncovered some
real color photos from the aftermath of the earthquake. They look a bit like Polaroids from the 1970s. Pretty amazing. For pictures of many different colors, put on a hard hat and make your way over to
Sepia Saturday.
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Great cards! I've seen many photos of the aftermath at the Library of Congress website, and they're simply amazing.
ReplyDeleteTragic as these images are, we can at least be thankful for the resulting improvements in building codes for seismic and fire requirements in response to the destruction. The 1923 Tokyo quake had similar devastation and over 70,000 died, also resulting changes in the way things were built, which is likely what saved that city from major damage in yesterday's event. Unfortunately, I don't think most of the buildings in the tsunami area were designed to withstand a 30' high wall of water- it is structurally/fiscally impossible to construct buildings that are impervious to all the cataclysmic events nature can generate...
ReplyDeleteThese images remind me very much of those of the town of Ypres (Ieper) in Belgium, heavily bombed during the Great War. When I visited Ypres a few years ago, I was amazed at how much had been reconstructed.
ReplyDeleteThere is currently a significant debate - which will no doubt become heated - about how many and which historic buildings severely damaged in the recent Christchurch earthquake should be saved. No doubt the same discussions happened in San Francisco, and will happen in Japan, although the emphasis now, quite rightly, will be on helping the survivors.
The images we're seeing on television will play the same role in shaping people's views about the old buildings and their fate that the newspapers and postcards did a century ago. I wonder if they'll do as good a job?
Hi Christine, Oh my, the devestation of that earthquake in 1906. These postcards are wonderful from so far back. And the person who took them very brave considering the afterquake fears. I especially remember the movie with Janette McDonald where it showed the earthquake and she sang that song, "San Francisco".
ReplyDeleteGee I didn't realise that happened a hundred years ago, but we are already well into the 21st centuary...can't believe it!
I pray all on the West Coast of the USA are kept safe from the impending earthquake Tsunami...so frightening.. Thank God for the warning. I didn't hear if Japan knew it was coming..?? One can see we are in the End Times that the Bible describes.. Australia has suffered major floods,and Cyclones, then N.Z. earthquakes now Japan, all on top of the other.. Stay safe.
How frightening earthquakes are and always have been. The damage is so shocking and these photos show that.
ReplyDeleteHere in NZ Christchurch has been hit twice in the last few months, the most recent of the two caused so much damage to the old buildings but worse than that was all the lives lost.
What has just happened in Japan is so shocking.
Great collection!
ReplyDeleteLooks more like bomb damage than earthquake. The pictures seem to have been taken after some clearing up has been done. Terrifying to have been there at the time. Current events in Japan reminds us that nature is in control.
ReplyDeleteOoops, oh my caught the poor doggie going potty! These are lovely photos depicting some not so happy times...but priceless photos for sure! Thank you so much...the info was quite interesting too!
ReplyDeleteI thought how timely, and yes the tragedy in Japan is gripping. We lived in CA for over 40 years, north central area and yet I remember the earthquakes and the tremors; our animals--cats in particular always acted more than peculiar before a quake. It was just something we had in the back of our minds, but now with this, well...That SF earthquake was quite a historic event..
ReplyDeleteI Never Realised They Produced Postcards As News Items.
ReplyDeleteI Always assumed postcards where mainly Holiday Affairs.
The Above are definately not ones to write "Wish You Were Here" on!
Great cards. It's hard to imagine all that destruction even from the pictures. The early color photos in your link are very interesting too.
ReplyDeleteSo very frightening. I have a friend in Okinawa who was evacuated to higher ground. All is well with her and her family but I feel so bad for the others...all over the world who have had to go through this type of destruction both natural and man-made.
ReplyDeleteBarbara
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ReplyDeleteGreat postcards. It seems odd to publish postcards of a disaster, but disaster postcards were very popular a hundred years ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragedy... then and now.
ReplyDeleteDid you see that film that was recently discovered of the drive down Market Street the day before the quake? Haunting.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the result of war, and in a way I suppose it is.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise postcards were used to spread news - how interesting. It must be terrifying to experience an earthquake. Jo
ReplyDeleteA fine, topical post. My blog-friend Martin H recently set up a site called Poetry24 which specialises in topical poetry, reactions to the events in the news. You could almost establish a similar Postcard24 theme which would aptly illustrate that whatever happens in the world has probably happened before.
ReplyDeleteGrim images for postcards, but the pictures are great. And those color pictures are really something.
ReplyDeletegreat documents of dire times. japanese will give a new face to their land and with time, these events will be just memories, but in the meantime, the process will be long, to heal, to mourn, and to rebuilt...
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HUGZ
Interesting to compare the color vs. colored vs. sepia. Historical event photos like these feel different in color, as if they need an interpreter for a foreign language.
ReplyDeleteYes, i saw those colored photos from the earthquake on t.v. this week. Truly amazing. These postcards are so interesting.
ReplyDeleteNancy