Title: Man poses for a photograph among the ruins. -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060070.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: Countless tourists and dazed San Franciscans strolled among the ruins after the fire had run its course. Innumerable family pictures survive of people posing with the devastated city in the background.

Title: The Smashed Valencia Hotel -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060071.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: The Valencia Hotel shortly after the earthquake that had brought it down. People scramble to pull survivors (and bodies) from the wreckage. The rescue efforts will soon be abandoned as the advancing fire reaches the ruins. It is possible that a few remaining survivors were burned alive, something that happened on more than a few occasions throughout the eastern portion of the city.

Title: Dynamiting dangerous structures after the fire. -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060072.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: Another depiction of explosives being used after the disaster to destroy fire-ravaged buildings with dangerous free-standing walls. After the fire, a few people near such walls were killed when mild aftershocks toppled them down.

Title: Overly touched colored photo of the 1906 fire. -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060073.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: This image was not only tinted, but flames were sketched in as well. Apparently, it was felt that the smoke obscured the fire too much, and so were added to further dramatize an already depressing scene.

Title: San Francisco in Flames -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060074.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: Another hand-tinted photograph of the burning city used for a postcard. These colored depictions of the disaster sold quite well, and were used by many Californians sending word to relatives back east that they were fine, but “look what we went through!”

Title: I'll give you a good price. -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060075.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: This photograph apparently shows one of the numerous tent stores that arose after the disaster. It appears that goods pulled from the ruins in reasonable condition are being offered for sale.

Title: People walking through the ruins. -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060076.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: This appears to be a picture of San Franciscans trying to go about their business after the disaster. It was probably taken more than a week after the disaster, as the people are no longer stunned spectators, but appear to be traveling to fixed destinations.

Title: Gutted buildings still standing. -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060077.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: Many of the better built structures of brick and masonry, though gutted by the flames, still remained standing after the fire (brick, being pre-fired, is virtually fire-proof). Many of these buildings were cleaned up, renovated, and can be seen throughout downtown San Francisco today.

Title: Refugees in Union Square. -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060078.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: This shot was taken on the afternoon of the first day of the disaster, April 18th, from the front of the St. Francisco Hotel. We seen two buildings under construction at the time, the middle one being the new Spring Valley office building. By evening, the flames will force the refugees to flee once again, either to Golden Gate Park or to the Ferry Building to fill the boats taking thousands across the Bay to Oakland.

Title: Timeless scene -- The Hansen Collection -- 19060079.jpg

Owning Institution: The Museum of the City of San Francisco

Description: This fascinating photograph of an officer standing in the middle of a ruined classical structure is very evocative of other times and places. Change his costume and it could be a scene from 5th Century Rome, or Paris after the battle between the Communards and the French government troops.