The San Francisco Earthquake
A massive earthquake felt from Oregon to Los Angeles and as far inland as Nevada jolted San Francisco, Calif., at 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906. The earthquake caused severe damage and loss of life in the San Francisco Bay area, and a three-day fire spawned by the shaking reduced 4.7 square miles of the city to blackened ruins. Military officials estimated $400 million of damage and a total of 700-800 killed. Modern research estimates that closer to 3,000 of San Francisco’s 400,000 inhabitants lost their lives.
The photo captures a painter sitting amid earthquake rubble painting a picture of ruins of large building after the earthquake.
Photo: Library of Congress