Everyday Photography? Politicizing a ‘vernacular’ photo album of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906

Carolin Görgen

doi:10.4000/interfaces.1458

Abstract

The San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, defined as the most-photographed event of the early twentieth century, overlaps with the beginnings of vernacular photography. Drawing on the vast output of the disaster, this article politicizes the notion of the vernacular. As art institutions have championed an aestheticized vernacular, many anonymous photographs have been stripped off their sociopolitical context. A host of related practices, such as amateur or club photography, have thus become marginalized. This perspective has reinforced a narrative of American photography ca. 1900 as either “vernacular” or “high art.” The heterogeneity of sources produced in San Francisco runs counter to this binary reading. They require a historiographical revision and a politicization of photo-collections. Exploring a personal photo album, this article retraces the visual, discursive, and material uses of “everyday” photography in extraordinary conditions. It points out how photo-practices were marked by extreme seismic events and domestic politics. The aim is two-fold: drawing attention to the complexity of archival materials and proposing a counter-narrative to the aestheticized vernacular.

Highlights

The San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, defined as the most-photographed event of the early twentieth century, overlaps with the beginnings of vernacular photography
As art institutions have championed an aestheticized vernacular, many anonymous photographs have been stripped off their sociopolitical context
A host of related practices, such as amateur or club photography, have become marginalized. This perspective has reinforced a narrative of American photography ca. 1900 as either “vernacular” or “high art.”

Summary

Introduction

Abstract: The San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, defined as the most-photographed event of the early twentieth century, overlaps with the beginnings of vernacular photography. Against the background of the earthquake and fire, I will closely analyze an anonymous photograph album held at the California Historical Society – one of the oldest collecting institutions in San Francisco.

Results

Conclusion