"A Visit to Jamaica in 1907 Immediately After the Great Earthquake" Photo Album
Scope and Content
The collection includes fifty-eight original gelatin silver photographs of a voyage to Jamaica soon after the 1907 earthquake, shows onboard scenes and over fifteen detailed views of the damage caused by the earthquake in Kingston; for example, views of ruins in the Colonial Bank, King Street, Orange Street, damage to the Parish Church, and a view of Queen Victoria's statue turned around. Other views contain images of Ocho Rios including the Sylvia Lawn Hotel and its staff as well as numerous views of the beach and several views of Montego Bay, Constant Spring showing Earthquake damage and views of Spanish Town and the Rio Cobra River. Also included at the end of the photo album are a souvenir card, and a programme of sports activities from the ship R.M.S. "Port Morant" belonging to the Imperial Direct West India Mail Service, dated March 5, 1907.
Dates
- Creation: 1907
Access
The collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Note
The Great Earthquake in Jamaica occurred on January 14, 1907, devastating the capital of Kingston and other areas of the island. The earthquake was recorded to have a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale and caused the death of 800 to 1,000 civilians. Additionally, 10,000 people were left homeless. These photos constitute a visual record of the aftermath. At the same time the photos, which were part of an album, exemplify tourism to Jamaica at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Extent
.01 Linear Feet (2 Folders)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection includes fifty-eight original gelatin silver photographs of a voyage to Jamaica soon after the 1907 earthquake. Also included at the end of the photo album are a souvenir card, and a programme of sports activities from the ship R.M.S. "Port Morant" belonging to the Imperial Direct West India Mail Service, dated March 5, 1907.
Arrangement
The photographs are arranged in the order in which they were arranged in the original album.
Location
University of Florida Smathers Library Building
Acquisition Information
The collection was purchased in 2018.
Alternative Format Available
Digital reproductions of the "A Visit to Jamaica in 1907 Immediately After the Great Earthquake" Photo Album are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.
Processing Notes
The collection was originally mounted in an album. Due to conservation concerns (the photographs are not stable); they were digitized. Afterwards, the photographs were dismounted from the album. The photographs are now housed in a mylar sleeve that includes the caption assigned to each of them in the album. The captions are also visible in the digital surrogate.
Subject
- Imperial Direct West India Mail Service. (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- A Guide to the "A Visit to Jamaica in 1907 Immediately After the Great Earthquake" Photo Album
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Katiana Bagué and Margarita Vargas-Betancourt
- Date
- March 2019
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu