Photo of a Man Posing With What is Said to be a Bronze Dome From the Porcelain Pagoda Tower in Nanjing, China (1871)

 

Photo of a man posing with what is said to be a bronze dome from the Porcelain Pagoda tower in Nanjing, China, 1871. The tower had been destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in 1856. Note the graffiti written on the dome and also the building rubble presumably from the tower scattered around it. Taken by Scottish photographer John Thomson. From a scan of the original glass negative.

Source: Wellcome Collection.

Photo of a Group of German soldiers and French Civilians Posing in Front of the Ruins of the Hôtel de Klinglin Which Was Burned Down by a Fire Sparked by German Artillery Bombardment During the Siege of Strasbourg (1870)

 

Photo of a group of German soldiers and French civilians posing in front of the ruins of the Hôtel de Klinglin (today known as the Hôtel du Préfet) which was burned down by a fire sparked by German artillery bombardment during the Siege of Strasbourg, part of the Franco-Prussian War, c. 1870. By photography firm Varady & Company and originally published as a stereoview.

Source: J. Paul Getty Museum.

Stereoview of the Ruins of Buildings After a Fire in Troy, New York (1862)

Stereoview of the ruins of buildings after a fire in Troy, New York, 1862.

Source: Library of Congress.

New York Times article on the fire.

People Posing Amidst the Rubble of a Buildings Destroyed by Fire in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory (1883)

People posing amidst the rubble of a buildings destroyed by fire in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, 1883. By Charles Roscoe Savage.

Source: Harold B. Lee Library.

French Troops Advancing Through the Town of Laon, France, During World War 1 (1918)

French troops moving through the town of Laon, France, during World War 1, 1918. From the book Pictorial History of the Great War.

View of Buildings Razed by Union Troops in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Shortly After the Battle of Baton Rouge (1862)

View of buildings razed by Union troops in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, shortly after the Battle of Baton Rouge, 1862. A defensive stockade built by the Union garrison is visible in the background. By Andrew Lytle. From Miller's Photographic History of the Civil War.

Stereoview Scene of a Group Posing in Front of a Building Damaged by the Wallingford Tornado in Wallingford, Connecticut (1878)

Stereoview scene of a group posing in front of a building damaged by the Wallingford Tornado in Wallingford, Connecticut, August 1878. By William Allderige and Son.

Source.

Union Provost Marshals Tearing Down a House Whose Occupants Had Been Accused of Selling Liquor to Union Soldiers in Alexandria, Virginia, During the Civil War (1863)

Union provost marshals tearing down a house whose occupants had been accused of selling liquor to Union soldiers in Alexandria, Virginia, 1863. From Miller's Photographic History of the Civil War.

A Group of Men Posing Amidst Destroyed Buildings on Summer Street in the Aftermath of the Great Boston Fire of 1872

A group of men posing amidst destroyed buildings on Summer Street in the aftermath of the Great Boston Fire of 1872. Animated stereoview.

Source.

People Posing Amidst the Rubble of Destroyed Buildings on Summer Street in the Aftermath of the Great Boston Fire (1872)

People posing amidst the rubble of destroyed buildings on Summer Street in the aftermath of the Great Boston Fire of 1872. Animated stereoview.

Source.

View of a Recently Destroyed Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad Bridge Over the North Anna River in Virginia (1864)

View of a recently destroyed Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad bridge over the North Anna River in Virginia, May 25, 1864. By Timothy O'Sullivan. Animated stereoscopic photographs.

Source.

Two Scenes of Union Soldiers Posing on Earthworks Near Atlanta, Georgia (1864)

Two scenes of Union soldiers posing on earthworks near Atlanta, Georgia, July 1864. By George Barnard. Animated stereoscopic photographs.

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Source 2.

View of Flooding in Cairo, Illinois (1862)

View of flooding in Cairo, Illinois, 1862. Image from Miller's Photographic History of the Civil War.

Time-Lapse View of Union Wharves and Supply Boats at City Point, Virginia, Shortly After the Explosion of a Large Amount of Ordnance Which was Sparked by a Confederate Saboteur (1864)

Time-lapse view of Union wharves and supply boats at City Point, Virginia, shortly after the explosion of a large amount of ordnance which was sparked by a Confederate saboteur, August 1864. By Timothy O'Sullivan.

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Source 2.
More information.

Spectators Viewing the Aftermath of a Fire in the Offices of the Daily Morning Call Newspaper in San Francisco, California (1859)

Spectators viewing the aftermath of a fire in the offices of the Daily Morning Call newspaper at the southeast corner of Clay and Montgomery Streets in San Francisco, California, 1859.

Source.

Two American Soldiers Surveying Destruction on the Belleau Wood Battlefield After the End of World War 1 (1919)

Two American soldiers surveying destruction on the Belleau Wood battlefield after the end of World War 1, c. 1919. By the Keystone View Company. Animated stereoview.

Source.

Two Men Sorting Through Debris in the Wreckage of a Building After the Galveston Hurricane of 1900

Two men sorting through debris in the wreckage of a building after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. By the Keystone View Company. Animated stereoview.

Source.

Railroad Destruction

Union soldiers of the 1st Michigan Volunteer Engineers and Mechanics Regiment tearing up railroad tracks in Atlanta, 1864. By George Barnard. Animated stereoview.

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