Snapshots of the Past

The Johnstown calamity. The bursted dam – Historic Reproduction

The Johnstown calamity. The bursted dam, c1889. — historic photograph
The Johnstown calamity. The bursted dam, c1889.. Historic photograph from the Johnstown Flood collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This historic photograph of The Johnstown calamity. The bursted dam brings a moment of history to your wall. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

The Johnstown calamity. The bursted dam

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

Many views of the flood show the ruined town, but this stereograph turns to its source, the failed dam. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam above Johnstown gave way after days of heavy rain, releasing a torrent down the Conemaugh valley that killed roughly 2,200 people. Stereo cards like this one were issued within months of the disaster, so they show how quickly the catastrophe became a popular subject. Viewed through a stereoscope, the scene conveys the scale of destruction that newspaper readers were then trying to picture.

Created / publishedc1889.
Medium1 photographic print on stereo card : stereograph.
GenreStereographs 1880-1890.Photographic prints 1880-1890.
SubjectsFloods--Pennsylvania--Johnstown--1880-1890. Dams--Pennsylvania--Johnstown--1880-1890.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 904 px · prints to 5 × 3 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-165803

More from the Johnstown Flood collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

The Johnstown calamity- Valley of the Conemaugh, from South ForkThe Johnstown calamity- Valley of the Conemaugh, from South Fork[Dam, south fork, after Johnstown flood, Pennsylvania][Dam, south fork, after Johnstown flood, Pennsylvania]Appalling calamity at Johnstown, Pa., on Friday, Sept. 14th, caused by the falling of a railroad bridge crowded with the citizens of the town, during the visit of President Johnson and suite - four persons killed and over 350 wounded / sketched by our special artist, Mr. C.E.H. Bonwill.Appalling calamity at Johnstown, Pa., on Friday, Sept. 14th, caused by the falliView of the broken dam looking from bed of lake, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889View of the broken dam looking from bed of lake, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889Johnstown flood, [Pennsylvania], South Fork Dam and club houseJohnstown flood, [Pennsylvania], South Fork Dam and club houseThe Johnstown Calamity [Johnstown, Pa. Flood, 1889]: Wreck of the Catholic ChurchThe Johnstown Calamity [Johnstown, Pa. Flood, 1889]: Wreck of the Catholic Churc