Arnold Genthe
San Francisco Fire, April 18, 1906, 9 a.m.

ArtistAmerican, born Germany, 1869–1942
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • San Francisco Fire, April 18, 1906, 9 a.m.
Date1906
PlaceSan Francisco, California, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 7 9/16 x 13 1/8 in. (19.2 x 33.3 cm)
Sheet: 7 9/16 × 13 1/8 in. (19.2 × 33.3 cm)
Mount: 14 x 18 in. (35.6 x 45.7 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Mundy Companies
Object number82.9
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description



Spectators watched in horror as fires ripped through San
Francisco over several days in 1906, leaving most of the city in ruin. One
victim of the devastating fires, which resulted from a massive earthquake that
shook Northern California early on the morning of April 18th, was Arnold
Genthe’s portrait studio. Nevertheless, the photographer was on hand with a 3A Kodak
to capture the impact of the natural disaster as it unfolded. This view down
Sacramento Street toward the billowing smoke preserved the same first-hand view
of history that onlookers witnessed that day. Fortunately, many of Genthe’s
photographs of San Francisco’s Chinatown were stored in a bank vault and
survived the fire.






Provenance[David Mancini Gallery, Houston]; purchased by MFAH, 1982.
Exhibition HistoryExhibited "Evocative Presence: Twentieth Century Photographs in the Museum Collection", The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston February 27 - May 1, 1988

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
verso top left " 217[circled] "
bottom left 193-1976-14 "
bottom center ' San Francisco / April 18th 1906 9A.M. "
bottom right " $ 1,500 "
bottom right below image on mount " Arnold Genthe "
verso top left a printed label with typed additions " Department of Fine Arts Box 401[in pencil] / Golden Gate International Exposition / Title S.F. Fire / Artist Dr. Arnold Genthe / Owner Dr. Arnold Genthe / No. G2 / Form DFA 2017-40 "
bottom center a printed label " From / ARNOLD GENTHE / 41 East 49th Street / New York "

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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