1906 Earthquake and Fire Commemorative Exhibits and Resources
Below are just a few of the many efforts and activities coordinated by the 1906 Earthquake Centennial Alliance. Visit the Alliance's Exhibits and Shows page for a full list of exhibits in the Bay Area.
"Earthquake: The Chinatown Story"
Chinese Historical Society of America
965 Clay Street (at Powell)
Hours and directions
This exhibit uses anecdotes collected from survivors and their descendants, newspaper accounts, photographs, and other artifacts. These stories explore the impact of the earthquake and fire on the Chinese American community. The exhibit is steps away from the hotel at the Chinese Historical Society of America. CHSA is located in the landmark Chinatown YWCA building, a Julia Morgan design.
1906 Earthquake: A Disaster in Pictures
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard Streets)
Hours and directions
In commemoration of the centennial of the great earthquake that struck the San Francisco area on April 18, 1906, this exhibition brings together approximately 100 photographs drawn from the Museum's collection and other local holdings. The earthquake and the subsequent fires it caused reduced much of the city's architecture to rubble and took the lives of thousands of people. In the aftermath of the disaster, many photographers took to the streets with their cameras, documenting the unfathomable damage as well as the valiant relief efforts. 1906 Earthquake explores a variety of photographic responses to the disaster, with professional views of the destroyed city, such as spectacular panoramas by Pillsbury Picture Company and glass lantern slides by Arnold Genthe, alongside amateur snapshots, albums, and cyanotypes on fabric.
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"Rephotographing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire"
Legion of Honor
Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and Clement Street
Visiting the museum
Photographer Mark Klett paired 1906 earthquake photos from the Legion’s Arnold Genthe archive, the Bancroft Library, and various Web-based archives with recreated historic shots.
"Jack London and the Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906"
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street (at 3rd)
An exhibition of photographs of San Francisco and Northern California by Jack London in the days and weeks immediately after the earthquake, accompanied by his writings and descriptions published in 1906.
Snapshot Chronicles: Inventing the American Photo Album -- Featuring Personal Albums Documenting the 1906 Earthquake and Fire
San Francisco Public Library
Main Library, Lower Level, Jewett Gallery
100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
Snapshot Chronicles celebrates the under-recognized visual creativity, storytelling, and social history of early snapshot photograph albums from 1889-1935. The centerpiece of the exhibition features 1906 photo albums made by San Francisco residents and tourists to the City who witnessed and took photos of the earthquake devastation and fire and chronicled their experiences in their personal photo albums.
The Great Quake: The Legacy of a Disaster
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Bernice Layne Brown Gallery in Doe Library
Directions: Campus Map | Public Transportation
Exhibit exploring the UC Berkeley campus response to the devastating earthquake, through manuscripts, photographs, prints, books and ephemera from multiple campus collections. Focus is on founding of seismology department, emergency preparedness, and science of seismic retrofit.
Shake, Bake & Spin! San Francisco and the Media in the Aftermath of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire
April 12 - December 8, 2006
The Society of California Pioneers Museum - 300 4th Street - San Francisco, CA 94107 - 415.957.1849
Hours: Wed - Fri, 10am-4pm, 1st Saturday of each month, 10am - 4pm
In the immediate aftermath of the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906, San Francisco city officials and business leaders became concerned that the extensive international coverage and reaction to the disaster threatened the city’s future prosperity. Shake, Bake & Spin! San Francisco and the Media in the Aftermath of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire uses historic documents, retrieved relics, photographs, newspapers, and film to examine the repackaging and reselling of the events of April 18, 1906 to accommodate commercial interests and stem the outflow of residents and capital. The exhibition further investigates the role of the media in containing the impact of the disaster, protecting property, sustaining morale, and refocusing attention on the rebuilding of the city.
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Online Exhibits and Resources
The US Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazard's Program's website includes technical and non-technical information as well as photos.
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Digital Collection is an online exhibit with material from the Bancroft Library, the California Historical Society, Stanford University, the Huntington Library, the Society of California Pioneers, and the California State Library.
"Are You Prepared?" is a multilingual (English, Spanish, and Chinese) disaster preparedness handbook produced by the San Francisco Office of Emergency Services.
"Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country -- Your Handbook for the San Francisco Bay Region" is a 32-page, softcover, USGS General Interest Publication developed in conjunction with leading Bay Area earthquake and emergency response organizations. View the handbook online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/
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