Once again, July 4th is over, the DPW is sweeping the streets of fireworks detritus, and archivists like me are browsing the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection for explosive celebrations of yesteryear.
Compared to living color, fireworks make a different impression in historical black-and-white. Moreover, the shots we have digitzed in the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection database are centered not so much on Independence Day as on the more local occasions of bridge openings:
The city's exuberance was in the night-sky also during the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE):
If we search "July 4" instead of "fireworks," we get more holiday-relevant results, reflecting far-ranging eras:
The Civil War:
The 1934 General Strike:
and finally, the Cold War:
Compared to living color, fireworks make a different impression in historical black-and-white. Moreover, the shots we have digitzed in the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection database are centered not so much on Independence Day as on the more local occasions of bridge openings:
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| Display of fireworks above San Francisco off the piers in celebrating opening of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Nov. 14, 1936 |
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| Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta Night Fireworks, May 27, 1937 |
The city's exuberance was in the night-sky also during the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE):
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| Fireworks on the Marina, July 4, 1915 |
The Civil War:
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| Dupont street, near California in 1862. Governor Leland Stanford reviewing troops, July 4, 1862 |
The 1934 General Strike:
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| Unidentified man running from tear gas during clash between striking longshoremen and police, July 4, 1934 |
and finally, the Cold War:
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| New halyard for the Folsom playground, July 4, 1958 |
Awesome!
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