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Film, Video San Francisco disaster Title from AFI catalog: film beginnings, 1893-1910: San Francisco

Digital viewing copy

About this Item

Title

  • San Francisco disaster

Other Title

  • Title from AFI catalog: film beginnings, 1893-1910: San Francisco

Summary

  • This film shows the partial burning of a small-scale model of downtown San Francisco in an early attempt at simulating the 1906 disaster. The model is seen in aerial view from above the South-of-Market district, looking northwest toward Market Street and the downtown area. Russian Hill (left) and Telegraph Hill (right) are shown in a painted background. The Call Building at 3rd and Market streets is modelled at left center, and the Ferry Building (Market and East streets) is shown at right. Market Street and downtown have been greatly shortened between the two enlarged model building. In reality, the location of the initial fires was more widely scattered than is shown, with many more blazes beginning out of view, at left, and a few more north of the Ferry Building. Note the heavy puffs of smoke wafted in from the left, both to give the impression of a rapidly spreading conflagration and to put out the flames for the final "smoking ruins" view. In fact, every part of the city shown (except a few small pockets) burned over a three day period.

Names

  • Bitzer, G. W., 1872-1944, camera
  • American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
  • Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • United States : American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1906.

Headings

  • -  San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906
  • -  Fires--California--San Francisco

Genre

  • Novelty films
  • Silent films
  • Short films
  • Nonfiction films

Notes

  • -  H77924 U.S. Copyright Office
  • -  Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 19May1906; H77924.
  • -  Duration: 2:42 at 15 fps.
  • -  According to the AFI catalog, film beginnings, 1893-1910, this film was incorporated into a longer film, also called San Francisco, which additionally included Scenes in San Francisco (Biograph production no. 3171 and 3172) and Views in San Francisco (Biograph production no. 3173). According the Biograph bulletins, 1908-1912, p. 244, the footage for the longer film was about 1,000 feet.
  • -  Biograph production no. 3168.
  • -  Paper print shelf number (LC 2177) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
  • -  Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
  • -  Sources used: Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 286; AFI catalog, film beginnings, 1893-1910, p. 940; Biograph production logs; Biograph bulletins, 1908-1912, p. 276.
  • -  Camera, G.W. Bitzer.
  • -  Photographed: May 5, 1906. Location: Biograph studio, New York City.
  • -  Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.
  • -  paper pos (copies 1 and 2) Received: 1906-05-19; copyright deposit Paper Print Collection.
  • -  Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.
  • -  35 mm dupe neg pic renumbered twice: FPB 6019 to FPF 8030; FPF 8030 to FZA 2839.
  • -  Paper print roll lacking suffix.

Medium

  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (125 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 200 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (125 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 200 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • master pos pic 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 125 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • paper pos 1 roll of 1 (ca. 200 ft) : b&w ; 35 mm.
  • paper pos (copy 2) 1 roll of 1 (ca. 200 ft.) : b&w ; 35 mm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • FLA 5191 (viewing print)
  • FEC 2395 (viewing print)
  • FRA 2148 (dupe neg pic)
  • FZA 2839 (dupe neg pic)
  • FRB 0890 (master pos pic)
  • Box 0905 (paper pos)
  • Box 5676 (paper pos, copy 2)

Source Collection

  • Niver (Kemp) Collection (Library of Congress)

Repository

  • Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 00694432

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897 to 1916 Collection are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897 to 1916 Collection.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., Camera, American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, and Paper Print Collection. San Francisco disaster. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1906. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/00694432/.

APA citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., American Mutoscope And Biograph Company & Paper Print Collection. (1906) San Francisco disaster. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/00694432/.

MLA citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., Camera, American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, and Paper Print Collection. San Francisco disaster. United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1906. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/00694432/>.