Vintage Stereographic Photos 1906 high quality Great San Francisco Earthquake, 7.8 Richter Scale, Bread Lines, City Hall, Nob Hill, Palo Alto, Stanford

Here is a set of 15 vintage stereographic 3-D photo cards documenting the aftermath of the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

This was a 7.8 to 8.3 magnitude quake that wreaked havoc in the Bay Area and is considered one of the most significant earthquakes in modern history. The city was also ravaged by fires which were set off and exacerbated by the quake. Loss of life was estimated at over 1,000.

These are black and white, sepia-toned, stereoscopic cards that show the extensive damage to San Francisco proper with views of Nob Hill, The Fairmount Hotel, City Hall, The Poodle Dog Restaurant, as well as some views of the Stanford University Campus.

There are also several human interest scenes such as a San Francisco breadline and refugee camp.

These photo cards can make an interesting display on their own, but are best when viewed using a stereoscope which was a very popular parlor entertainment device during the Victorian era.

I have viewed these with my personal scope and they are spectacular! All are in good condition with some staining and age related fading, but when viewed under good light they snap into 3-D immediately and display considerable depth, contrast, and detail.

Remember, shipping is always free at Portland Pandemonium, so keep coming back for high quality more odd-ball and quirky stuff,

Daniel


Note: Stereopscopic viewers are available through many online market places such as Etsy, POSH, and eBay, in the range of $20-30 and usually are quite elegant and Steampunk in and of themselves.