Is That Burnt Red Tape I'm Smelling?!

That is making too light of the situation facing San Francisco's population when the City Hall burned following the 1906 earthquake; the loss of records may not have been the most pressing concern in the immediate aftermath but it must have been a major problem as time went on.

This is a cabinet card from the original negative from the period, probably one of many offered for sale to inhabitants who experienced the disaster as well as to curious outsiders (this one was still in San Francisco when I acquired it.) This was likely taken some days after the worst of the fires, but it is surprising that there are so few people in sight. It is interesting to speculate about whether the damage to the domed tower was due to the quake or the ensuing fires.

Aesthetic Choices Considered ...

If you are uninterested in the technical aspects of antique images and their restoration, then just look at this lovely portrait, enjoy it, read no further.

As film improved in its capacity to reproduce fine tonal gradations and paper emulsions were developed that prevented the paper fibers from intruding on the quality of the image, photographers took advantage of the possibilities. The portrait subject's face became the point – painted backgrounds, strong directional light and focus on clothing were no longer employed.

The charm of this young girl's portrait is more than her natural beauty, though that cannot be denied, it is all about taking advantage of the technology and making excellent choices. The depth of field (critical focal sharpness) is shallow, restricted only to the face, which further serves to heighten the dramatic effect. She may be 13 or 14 years old but you find yourself convinced that you can imagine how she may have looked at 18, 22 or even 30.

This print suffered from the usual abrasions and minor staining, but the hard, glossy paper surface sited above prevented the accumulation of the dirt that makes restoration so much more difficult; in this case I was able to exactly preserve the as-found tone which, though it may have changed somewhat over the years from what it was originally, was stunning. 

Presenting Our Family

I cannot be certain if this family portrait is American or European in origin although it ended up in the states. The background is partly real and partly painted hanging and the transition between backdrop and carpet is more skillfully done than we often see. We may assume that the father, whether self-employed or not, has an income that allows them to live comfortably. Under magnification I can determine that the girls dresses are identical subtly patterned wool with applied collars and mantles, whether by their choice or their mother's. All four children must be no more than 2 years apart in age.

The entire family presents a calm and steady gaze to the camera. The significance of the photograph on the tripod on the right – a band or small orchestra of some sort – is not clear except that it is not a studio prop, it is probably not the primary reason for the portrait, but it has to have significance: perhaps we may guess that the man is the leader or in some way closely connected. If so, do you suppose the family tours?

Shatternooga ChooChoo

My fascination with trains may have been due to living within earshot of steam engines shunting cars in a train yard for the first seven years of my life. My mother was not so enamored since she had to try to keep a house and children clean in such a smokey environment; she did not miss them when we moved away; I didn’t know I missed them until a decade later when I realized they were gone from the railroad scene forever.

Much is said of the American love affair with cars, but before internal combustion, little boys (and big boys) were enamored with the noisy behemoths. But gender had nothing to do with a fascination with train wrecks – the destructive realities were spectacular and every photographer knew there was money in a good train wreck: if you could get there and take some shots, they were a guaranteed sell, especially in the form of postcards!

Collectors vie for train disaster images, and the amazing thing is the prevalence of crowds of people of all ages climbing upon the wreckage (imagine authorities allowing that kind of thing today!) Here is an exception: only a few workers tend to the laborious process of cleanup – after the crowds have done with gawking and have gone away.

This Is Our House

Americans, particularly middle and upper middle class Americans, put the camera to work recording their pride of place. The cameraman set up the view camera to include the house and yard, the family (extended family and servants, too) stood arrayed on the porch and in the yard, often with horses, carriages and anything else that they wanted to display. This was a self-conscious exercise that is conveyed by a rather flat-footed stance, tensely waiting for the shutter and the camera operator's assurance that they could relax, the deed was done.

We may be amused but the survival of these photos in their thousands is evidence that it was a serious thing.

That they survive usually doesn't mean they have had much care – they have darkened and discolored with age and their presence in homes that have been heated and lit with coal, oil, gas lamps and years of exposure to cooking stoves and tobacco smoke have taken their toll. Below shows, left to right, the image after it has been scanned, the image restored, and the image as it looked before restoration.

Scan                                                    Restored                                             Original State