After the Ruins, 1906 and 2006: Rephotographing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

Now closing May 28!Arizona-based photographer Mark Klett (b.1952) has been photographing the American West for over 25 years. He directed the Rephotography Survey Project in the late 1970s, which located and rephotographed the sites of images made by William Henry Jackson, Timothy O’Sullivan, and other photographers surveying the West in the late 19th century. For the Dislocations project, which is also the subject of a book co-published by the Fine Arts Museums and UC Press, Klett chose to recreate historic photographs of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, the centennial of which is April 18, 2006. Over the past two years, Klett has been collecting 1906 images from the Legion of Honor’s Genthe archive, the Bancroft Library, and various web-based archives, resulting in the selection of 85 geographical sites. His fieldwork in recreating the historic shots covered the entire city of San Francisco, from Union Square to the Presidio, South of Market to the Marina Green, and Mission Dolores to Cow Hollow. The results are approximately 75 paired photographs depicting the city then and now, each showing that the two spaces and times are related. In Klett’s words, “The photographs are more than a reminder of the power of nature or a warning to arrogance in the face of it. I also think they are a way to contemplate how we understand time and our relationship to the past.”This exhibition identifies the Fine Arts Museums as a member of the 1906 Earthquake Centennial Alliance, an organization formed to help coordinate efforts and activities between organizations in Northern California that are planning to commemorate the earthquake. The book, produced by UC Press, includes a foreword by Fine Arts Museums Director Harry S. Parker III, and essays by Rebecca Solnit and Philip Fradkin.1906 Earthquake Centennial AllianceThe exhibition After the Ruins identifies the Fine Arts Museums as a member of the 1906 Earthquake Centennial Alliance, an organization of approximately 150 entities that includes museums, libraries, historical societies, parks, and academic research groups, as well as representatives from a broad range of sectors that include science, health, education, public policy, print and broadcast media, and business. The Alliance was formed to coordinate efforts and activities among organizations in Northern California that are planning events and presentations to commemorate the earthquake.

This show is intriquing and engaging. The before and after pictures are captivating, haunting and tell a story.
For those of us who had family in the earthquake, it actually is a bit heart wrenching. My favorite image is the barn at Point Reyes that moved 15 feet and the image of the crack in the earth.

Legion of Honor
Photography exhibit
San Francisco, California