Guide to the Postcards of Chinatown, San Francisco, California MS.R.127
Processed by Cyndi Shein; machine-readable finding aid created by Cyndi
Shein
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
(cc) 2007
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Postcards of Chinatown, San Francisco, California
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.127
Physical Description:
0.2 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1901-1987, undated
Abstract: The collection comprises 159 postcards,
primarily of Chinatown in San Francisco, California, from approximately 1901 to 1987.
Subjects include individuals, families, restaurants, tea gardens, markets, bazaars, joss
houses, shops, parades, and street scenes. The collection also includes a few postcards of
Chinatowns in Los Angeles, New York City, and Victoria, British Columbia.
Language of Material:
English .
The collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Intellectual property rights are
retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to
publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Postcards of Chinatown, San Francisco, California. MS-R127. Special Collections and
Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquired, 2006.
Established in 1850, San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and
contains one of the largest concentrations of ethnic Chinese people residing outside of
Asia. From approximately 1850 to 1900, it was the port of entry into the United States for
most Chinese immigrants from the southern Guangdong province. Chinatown covers approximately
24 to 30 blocks in downtown San Francisco.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The collection comprises 159 postcards, primarily of Chinatown, San Francisco, California,
from approximately 1901 to 1987. Subjects include individuals, families, restaurants, tea
gardens, markets, bazaars, joss houses, shops, and parades. Images also include street
scenes from Grant Avenue in the heart of Chinatown. The collection also includes two
autographed postcards of film star Chingwah Lee and a few postcards of Chinatowns in Los
Angeles, New York City and Victoria, British Columbia. Some of the postcards bear messages
from people who visited Chinatown.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Francisco (Calif.) -- History -- Sources
Postcards -- California -- San Francisco -- 20th
century.
Chinatown (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Pictorial works.
Chinese -- California -- San Francisco -- Pictorial works.
box 1, folder 1-5
San Francisco 1901-1987, undated
box 1, folder 6
Los Angeles, New York City, and Victoria, British Columbia undated