Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Arnold Genthe photograph collection
- Dates:
- 1895-1925
- Abstract:
- Comprises film and glass negatives, copy prints and large size original prints taken by Arnold Genthe. Includes portraits of prominent San Franciscans; photographs of the aftermath of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire; and photographs of Chinese American inhabitants of San Francisco's Chinatown between 1895 and 1906. The copy prints were likely made from the negatives in this collection.
- Extent:
- 1.84 Linear feet (2 legal document boxes; 1 half legal document box; 1 oversize flat box)
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item, date]; Arnold Genthe photograph collection (PC RM Genthe) [box number, folder number]; California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Comprises film and glass negatives and original photographic prints created by Arnold Genthe between 1895 and 1925. Many of the photographic prints are signed by Genthe. Also contains copy prints, likely created from the negatives in this collection.
Collection contains portraits of artists, authors, dancers, actors, and other prominent San Franciscans who were contemporaries of Genthe, including Jack London. Also contains 16 original and multiple copy prints of the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
The bulk of collection contains a few original prints and many copy prints of San Francisco's Chinatown. Known as Tangrenbu, this 10 block area was inhabited by most of San Francisco's Chinese American population. Photographs depict Chinese American children and families; tradespeople; and street scenes showing details of Chinatown's architecture, store fronts, and inhabitants. Titles of the photographs are Genthe's original titles. Some of the titles contain outdated language that is no longer used or appropriate today.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Arnold Genthe was born in Berlin, Germany on January 8, 1869. He emigrated to San Francisco in 1895 where he taught himself photography. He photographed the Chinese Americans living and working in San Francisco's Chinatown. Genthe opened a studio in San Francisco sometime between 1890 and 1900 where he made portraits of prominent San Francisco citizens, artists, authors, dancers, and actors. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire destroyed his studio, but provided him with the opportunity to document much of the destruction in the city. Genthe rebuilt his studio in San Francisco in 1907 and published his Chinatown photographs in 1908. He moved to New York in 1911, continuing to work in photography, primarily in portraiture, until his death in 1942.
- Acquisition information:
- Negatives transferred from Library of Congress to the California Historical Society in 1954. The original prints derive from a variety of donors. Transferred to Stanford University Libraries, 2025.
- Physical / technical requirements:
-
Some glass plate negatives are cracked or broken and should not be handled.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-12-04 15:51:40 -0800 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.
Curator permission is required to access the fragile glass negatives. Please contact specialcollections@stanford.edu.
- Terms of access:
-
Material in the public domain does not have any restrictions on use.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item, date]; Arnold Genthe photograph collection (PC RM Genthe) [box number, folder number]; California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
Department of Special Collections, Green Library557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305-6004, US
- Contact:
- (650) 725-1022