[Detail] A trip down Market Street before the fire [production company unknown].

Standards

Collection Overview

The twenty-six films in Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897-1916, represent early film production in America. Seventeen of the films capture San Francisco and its environs before the 1906 disaster. Seven films document the great earthquake and fire. Two later films include a 1915 travelogue that shows the rebuilt city and the Panama Pacific Exposition, and a 1916 propaganda film.

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Special Features

These online exhibits provide context and additional information about this collection.

• Early San Francisco

Historical Eras

These historical era(s) are best represented in the collection although they may not be all-encompassing.

• Development of the Industrial United States, 1876-1915
• Emergence of Modern America, 1890-1930

Related Collections and Exhibits

These collections and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Also browse the Collection Finder for more related material on the American Memory Web site.

• Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
• Life of a City: New York, 1898-1906
• Taking the Long View, 1851-1991
• Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920

Other Resources

Recommended additional sources of information.

There are currently no other resources for this collection

Search Tips

Specific guidance for searching this collection

To review the contents of a film, click one of the films in the Film Titles to retrieve the bibliographic record. Each record presents a wealth of information, including a scene-by-scene description of the film. You may want to preview these notes before downloading a video film file, as downloading may take several hours to complete.

For more help with search words, go to the Subject Index.

For help with general search strategies, go to Finding Items in American Memory.

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