Speaking of imaging I found the restored film embedded above very interesting. Maybe you’ve seen it in its unrestored form but I hadn’t. It really brings San Francisco, just days before the quake, to life.
Some of the things I noticed were the interest that many of the people had in the proceedings and the obviously slower pace of things. Note, too, how slender almost all of the people are.
Loved the film! No traffic control either. U-turns everywhere, no crosswalks, so jaywalking was perfectly fine. No cross street stop signs …it was just “do your own thing.†Horses, cars, street cars, people walking symmetrically commingling, all seem to coexist without road rage erupting. Can’t wait to stream this for my husband who truly enjoys depictions of past times like this.
@Jan: Up into the 1920s, cars were still relatively rare and something of a toy. By the end of the decade, some say with heavy lobbying from the automobile industry, the notion that “roads are for cars” took hold, along with right of ways and the like.
See, for example,
The Smithsonian
University of Michigan
Vox
Some radicals argue we should go back to the presumption that the roads are for everyone, equally. I find that notion absurd.
Views on that differ by country. For example, if you’ve ever visited Canada, you might be surprised to see people just stepping out into the street. Pedestrians there have unquestioned right of way.
That’s completely consistent with a point I make frequently: the notion of what constitute “inalienable rights” varies from country to country. In one country (UK) the “right to cross the land” is considered an essential right. Here it’s considered trespassing.
Are you sure this film wasn’t made this week? An awful lot of feces lying around. Although I have to admit I didn’t see any used syringes and needles.