104 Year old Film from 1906 San Francisco

Imagine sitting on this cable car as it slowly drives down Market Street at the Embarcadero Wharf in San Francisco in 1906. This film was "lost" for many years. It was the first 35mm film ever, taken by camera mounted on the front of a cable car.

This film was produced only four days before the Great California Earthquake and then shipped by train to New York for processing. The date was verified by weather conditions and license plates.

I very much enjoyed seeing some of the hats the ladies are wearing. Notice how it's the men who take the risks when crossing the street. The ladies do it much more cautiously. And towards the later part of the film, you'll see a hair-raising manuevre by a car as it squeezes between the main cable car and one that is fast approaching! What a fascinating treasure of history! Enjoy!

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3 Comments

LindyLouMac said…
What an interesting piece of social history.
this was so cool! It's a wonder more people weren't killed back then with all that traffic.
I thoroughly enjoy your blog and look forward to new posts.
Hannah Stoneham said…
Wow - that's amazing isn't it. thanks for sharing

Hannah