In this presentation we’ll investigate the relationship between a group of photographs, made in the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and selected Renaissance depictions of Roman ruins in Italy. Arnold Genthe (1869-1942) took the photographs, and various artists made the prints. How the examination of images of ruins helps to explicate certain aspects of human history is the unifying theme of the presentation. All visual materials are from the permanent collection in the Achenbach Foundation at the Palace of Legion of Honor, San Francisco