Portal:History/Featured picture/April, 2007

San Francisco lies in ruins on May 28, 1906, about six weeks after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The photo was taken from a camera suspended on a kite 2,000 feet above the city. It is one of the most well-known photographs of George R. Lawrence. The tower of the Ferry Building can be seen at the bay end of Market Street, which can be clearly seen all the way to the foothills of Twin Peaks. The water in the foreground is San Francisco Bay, with the Golden Gate to the right, rear.

Photo credit: George R. Lawrence