[Halifax Explosion, Nova Scotia, Canada, 6 December 1917.] Twelve postcards of scenes of devastation by the largest non-nuclear man-made explosion in history, by Underwood & Underwood of New York.

Author: 
Underwood & Underwood, N.Y. [Halifax Explosion, Nova Scotia, Canada, 6 December 1917]
Publication details: 
Copyright Underwood & Underwood, N.Y. [New York.] 'Novelty Mfg. & Art Co., Limited, Montreal [Canada]'. Undated [1917 or 1918].
£100.00
SKU: 13754

The largest man-made explosion before the the development of nuclear weapons, with a force equivalent to nearly 3 kilotons of TNT, occurred when the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc, laden with wartime munitions, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows, a strait connecting the upper Halifax Harbour to Bedford Basin. The explosion devastated the Richmond District of Halifax, killing 2000 and injuring 9000. Each postcard carries the words 'Copyright Underwood & Underwood, N.Y.' next to the caption beneath the image, with 'Novelty Mfg. & Art Co., Limited, Montreal' on the reverse. The twelve postcards are uniformly printed in grey/light-blue. Nine of the twelve are roughly 9 x 14 cm; the other three have had a strip cropped from the head, and are now 8 x 14 cm. Other than this trimming to three of the twelve, the collection is in good condition, with light signs of age and wear. The captions of the nine untrimmed postcards read: 'Business Street of Halifax Wrecked by Great Explosion', '522 Terrible Halifax Disaster. Wreckage Sugar Refinery. "S.S. Imo" in distance', 'Halifax Railroad Station, in which 60 Persons were Killed by Falling Roof', '525 Beautiful Halifax Church, Mile and a Half Away, Wrecked by Explosion', 'View of Wreckage from Halifax Disaster', 'Terrible Halifax Disaster. Ruins at Richmond', 'Collision of this Vessel the "S.S. Imo" with "Mont Blanc" Caused Great Halifax Disaster', 'Terrible Halifax Disaster. Wrecked Home in Richmond', 'Soldiers Searching Debris for Victims in Great Halifax Disaster'. The captions of the three postcards trimmed at the head read: '521 Snow-Covered Devastated Residential Section of Halifax, after Terrible Explosion', '524 Terrible Halifax Disaster. Olands' Breweries Completely Destroyed', 'Great Halifax Explosion. - Utter Desolation and Devastation so Complete that this Picture might have been taken on the Battlefield of France'.