A black-and-white historical photograph captures an elevated, wide-angle view of a city devastated by fire and earthquake. In the foreground, a wide, debris-filled street is populated by several horse-drawn wagons and figures moving through piles of rubble and fallen wires. The middle ground is dominated by the skeletal remains of multi-story buildings, some reduced to brick shells and others completely leveled into heaps of charred wood and stone. Wisps of white smoke or steam rise from various points among the ruins. In the background, a large, dark hill rises under a hazy sky, with the outlines of more distant, intact structures visible along its base. The perspective is looking down a long thoroughfare that recedes toward the hills, and the lighting is diffused, creating a high-contrast scene of destruction. A small, white number "130" is visible in the lower-right corner of the image.