Artist Biography
Willard E. Worden studied painting in Philadelphia before becoming a photographer while serving in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. In 1902 he opened a photography studio in San Francisco, producing scenic views of the city, and surrounding areas. He documented the destruction of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire and served as official photographer for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915. His pre-1906 views of San Francisco's Chinatown, along with those of Arnold Genthe, are considered among the best photographic records of the old district destroyed by the fire.