55

Britton & Rey, lithographers.

Print of a wounded grizzly bear destroying San Francisco, issued in the wake of the 1906 earthquake.

San Francisco, CA: California Insurance Co., 1907
Chromolithograph, 20¼ x 12¼ inches, tipped to 24 x 16-inch backing board (possibly as issued), untitled; colors faded, one short closed tear in image.

  • Notes: An enormous grizzly tramples the burning homes of San Francisco, wounded by an arrow. The iconic Ferry Building can be seen in the background. The print was issued by an insurance company the year after the deadly 1906 earthquake, perhaps to frighten city-dwellers into buying insurance, although no resident of San Francisco should have needed a reminder so soon after the disaster. 

    We trace only two institutional copies: at the California State Library and the Bancroft Library at Berkeley. 
  • Condition:
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November 20, 2025 10:30 AM EST
New York, NY, US

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