Through History’s Lens California Society
by SARAH TORNEY
C
“The Great Quake” on alifornia Dame April 18, 1906. He was Sarah Torney able to continue shooting connected San for days after, documenting Francisco’s past and the path of destruction present through the lens caused by the fires. of her family’s history. In April 1906, San Sarah was inspired to Francisco was hit with a recreate a “then-and-now’’ 7.9-magnitude earthquake. photo montage, capturing Sarah’s great-grandfather, Edward Torney and Sarah Torney the same locations and Edward Torney, took photos throughout the city, documenting the devastating effects street corners her great-grandfather had photographed. of the quake. One hundred fourteen years after the quake, Not only has San Francisco's shelter-in-place mandate the pandemic had devastating effects on San Francisco and emptied the streets of many cars and people, similar to its residents. To recognize the remarkable efforts to keep the impact of the fires, but the timing was also significant. the city going through the pandemic, Sarah, who’s part Sarah completed this project 114 years to the month since of Google’s marketing team, recreated her grandfather’s the 1906 earthquake. photo series and juxtaposed his photos from 1906 with her photos from this year. This project kept her creativity Some things have clearly changed; new, modern buildings flowing during the early days of sheltering in place due to have replaced many that stood in the early twentieth century. The aftermath of the 1906 earthquake juxtaposed the pandemic. against the ghost town that is downtown San Francisco Sarah is a fifth-generation San Franciscan and fourteenth- amid the current health crisis is startling. generation American. In sifting through old family photos recently, she discovered a series of photos her great- This personal project became a fascinating history grandfather took in the days after the 1906 San Francisco lesson on San Francisco—and better yet, it helped Sarah earthquake. Her great-grandfather, Edward “Ned” discover family photos and stories that she will be able to Johnston Torney Sr., hit the streets with his camera to remember and share for generations. document the devastation caused by fires following the
Dames Discovery | Fall 2020
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