Collection Guide
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Guide to the
Chinese in California Virtual Collection
Various; consult contributing institutions
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Table of contents
Title: The
Chinese
in California
in California
Date: 1850-1925
Collection number: various
Size:
2710 digital library objects (5349 items)
Repository: The
Bancroft Library.
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Repository: The Ethnic Studies Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Repository: California Historical Society, North Baker Research Library
San Francisco, California 94105-4014
Abstract: The
Chinese
in California, 1850-1925 illustrates nineteenth and early twentieth century
Chinese
immigration to California through about 8,000 images and pages of primary source materials. Included are photographs, original
art, cartoons and other illustrations; letters, excerpts from diaries, business records, and legal documents; as well as pamphlets,
broadsides, speeches, sheet music, and other printed matter. These documents describe the experiences of
Chinese
immigrants in California, including the nature of inter-ethnic tensions. They also document the specific contributions of
Chinese
immigrants to commerce and business, architecture and art, agriculture and other industries, and cultural and social life
in California. Chinatown in San Francisco receives special treatment as the oldest and largest community of
Chinese
in the United States. Also included is documentation of smaller
Chinese
communities throughout California, as well as material reflecting on the experiences of individuals. Although necessarily
selective, such a large body of materials presents a full spectrum of representation and opinion. The materials in this online
compilation are drawn from collections at The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley; The Ethnic Studies Library,
University of California Berkeley; and The California Historical Society, San Francisco.
Chinese
in California, 1850-1925 illustrates nineteenth and early twentieth century
Chinese
immigration to California through about 8,000 images and pages of primary source materials. Included are photographs, original
art, cartoons and other illustrations; letters, excerpts from diaries, business records, and legal documents; as well as pamphlets,
broadsides, speeches, sheet music, and other printed matter. These documents describe the experiences of
Chinese
immigrants in California, including the nature of inter-ethnic tensions. They also document the specific contributions of
Chinese
immigrants to commerce and business, architecture and art, agriculture and other industries, and cultural and social life
in California. Chinatown in San Francisco receives special treatment as the oldest and largest community of
Chinese
in the United States. Also included is documentation of smaller
Chinese
communities throughout California, as well as material reflecting on the experiences of individuals. Although necessarily
selective, such a large body of materials presents a full spectrum of representation and opinion. The materials in this online
compilation are drawn from collections at The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley; The Ethnic Studies Library,
University of California Berkeley; and The California Historical Society, San Francisco.
Language:
English.
Restricted originals. Viewing prints available for most items. Access procedures and restrictions
vary by repository. In most cases advance notice or an appointment is required for use. For more
information contact the institution directly.
The Bancroft Library, The Ethnic Studies Library, and The California Historical Society are not aware of any U.S. copyright
or any other restrictions on the original materials digitized for this online collection, The
Chinese
in California, 1850-1925. However, some of the content may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (title 17, USC) and/or
by the copyright or neighboring rights laws of other nations. Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted
by privacy or publicity rights. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary
permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to reproduce or use the item.
Chinese
in California, 1850-1925. However, some of the content may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (title 17, USC) and/or
by the copyright or neighboring rights laws of other nations. Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted
by privacy or publicity rights. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary
permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to reproduce or use the item.
The owning institutions encourage use of these materials under the fair use clause of the 1976 copyright act. For the purposes
of research, teaching, and private study, you may reproduce (print, make photocopies, or download) materials from this collection
without prior permission of the owning institution, on the condition that proper attribution of the source is provided in
all copies.
Sample credit lines:
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. [call number, e.g. BANC PIC 1996.001--ALB]
The Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley. [call number, e.g. AAS ARC 2000/15: fol. 16: book 1]
California Historical Society, San Francisco. [call number, e.g. CO-Placer: Auburn: FN-34385]
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. [call number, e.g. BANC PIC 1996.001--ALB]
The Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley. [call number, e.g. AAS ARC 2000/15: fol. 16: book 1]
California Historical Society, San Francisco. [call number, e.g. CO-Placer: Auburn: FN-34385]
For other uses of materials from the The
Chinese
in California, 1850-1925 collection, (e.g., commercial products, publication, broadcast, and other reproductions not considered
"fair use"), requests for permission must be submitted in writing. Permission for publication or other use is given on behalf
of each institution as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder, which must also be obtained. Contact the owning institution, identified in the "Repository" field of the description
of the item, at the address provided below:
Chinese
in California, 1850-1925 collection, (e.g., commercial products, publication, broadcast, and other reproductions not considered
"fair use"), requests for permission must be submitted in writing. Permission for publication or other use is given on behalf
of each institution as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder, which must also be obtained. Contact the owning institution, identified in the "Repository" field of the description
of the item, at the address provided below:
For permission to use materials from The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
- Head of Access Services
- The Bancroft Library
- University of California
- Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
- http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/dsu
- For permission to use materials from The Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley
- Asian American Collections Librarian
- The Ethnic Studies Library
- University of California
- Berkeley, CA 94720
- (510) 643-1234
- For permission to use materials from the California Historical Society, San Francisco
- Director of Research Collections
- North Baker Research Library
- California Historical Society
- 678 Mission Street
- San Francisco, CA 94105
- http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/
- Higher quality reproductions are available from the owning institutions.
The
Chinese
in California 1850-1925 is a compilation of selected holdings from collections housed in the archives and special collections
of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley; The Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley;
and the California Historical Society, San Francisco. Presenting approximately 8000 images, this virtual archive makes accessible
material related to the history of the
Chinese
people in California between 1850 and 1925. The materials were selected to illustrate broad topical themes:
Chinese
in California 1850-1925 is a compilation of selected holdings from collections housed in the archives and special collections
of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley; The Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley;
and the California Historical Society, San Francisco. Presenting approximately 8000 images, this virtual archive makes accessible
material related to the history of the
Chinese
people in California between 1850 and 1925. The materials were selected to illustrate broad topical themes:
-
Chinese
and Westward Expansion
- San Francisco's Chinatown
- Architectural Space
- Business and Politics
- Community
- Outsiders Looking In
-
Chinese
/
Chinese
-American Communities
- Agriculture, Fishing, and Related Industries
- Anti-
Chinese
Movement and
Chinese
Exclusion
- Sentiment Concerning the
Chinese
: Illustrations from Periodicals
The materials selected are drawn from a variety of archival collections, compiled by institutions and libraries with varying
missions. Many of the collections have distinctive histories of their own. In some cases entire collections have been included;
more often a selection of materials relating to the
Chinese
in California has been selected from a collection with broader scope. It is our hope that The
Chinese
in California presents a balanced perspective on a tumultuous and changing history of this community in California. Major
issues explored in these records include the
Chinese
contribution to California and the American West in the 19th and early 20th centuries; the rampant anti-
Chinese
sentiment encountered by these immigrants, eventually leading to the federal
Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1892 (repealed in 1943); and settlement and development in various communities, including San Francisco's
Chinatown, which remains the largest Chinatown in the United States.
Chinese
in California has been selected from a collection with broader scope. It is our hope that The
Chinese
in California presents a balanced perspective on a tumultuous and changing history of this community in California. Major
issues explored in these records include the
Chinese
contribution to California and the American West in the 19th and early 20th centuries; the rampant anti-
Chinese
sentiment encountered by these immigrants, eventually leading to the federal
Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1892 (repealed in 1943); and settlement and development in various communities, including San Francisco's
Chinatown, which remains the largest Chinatown in the United States.
The materials presented in The
Chinese
in California are only a small part of the wealth of historical and archival materials documenting this topic at participating
institutions. Users should note the source of the materials found on this site and contact the holding libraries or archives
for further information.
Chinese
in California are only a small part of the wealth of historical and archival materials documenting this topic at participating
institutions. Users should note the source of the materials found on this site and contact the holding libraries or archives
for further information.
The Bancroft Library, The University of California, Berkeley
The Bancroft Library is the primary special collections library at the University of California, Berkeley. One of the largest
and most heavily used libraries of manuscripts, rare books, and unique materials in the United States, Bancroft supports major
research and instructional activities and plays a leading role in the development of the University's research collections.
The Bancroft Library's holdings include more than 500,000 volumes, 50,000,000 manuscript items (some 35,000 linear feet),
2,800,000 photographs and other pictorial materials, 43, 000 microforms, and 23,000 maps.
The Bancroft Collection, the Library's largest resource, documents the history of North America from western plains states
to the Pacific Coast and from Panama to Alaska from the late eighteenth century onward. The collection was initially assembled
by Hubert Howe Bancroft, who settled in San Francisco during the gold rush era, becoming a bookstore owner and publisher.
Beginning in the 1860s he gathered materials for his vast publication project of a series of histories of western North American,
in the end numbering 39 volumes. Within a decade he had amassed 16,000 volumes. Purchased by The University of California,
Berkeley in 1905, the collection documents, through primary and secondary resources, the economic, political, social, and
cultural history of this vast region. The greatest emphasis in the collection is on California and Mexico, with the history
of most other Western American states collected up to 1900, except such broad, overlapping issues as water and the environment,
which are collected without regard to date. Also represented are early Pacific voyages of exploration and discovery; continental
expansion west of the Mississippi, including the Louisiana Purchase, fur trade, overland journeys to the West; Hawaii and
the Philippines, British Columbia and the Yukon.
Some of the topical strengths include materials relating to Spanish/ Mexican California, the California Gold Rush and the
settlement that followed, urban and rural development, particularly in northern California, the environmental movement in
the American West, and local, state, and national political figures. The Bancroft Collection richly documents nineteenth and
early twentieth century
Chinese
immigration to California and the West. Included in the collection is much that reflects the social life, culture, and commerce
of these immigrants as well as the varying responses of other communities and individuals to the
Chinese
. The primary source materials include photographs, original art, cartoons and other illustrations; letters, diaries, business
records, and legal documents; as well as pamphlets, broadsides, speeches, sheet music, and other printed matter.
Chinese
immigration to California and the West. Included in the collection is much that reflects the social life, culture, and commerce
of these immigrants as well as the varying responses of other communities and individuals to the
Chinese
. The primary source materials include photographs, original art, cartoons and other illustrations; letters, diaries, business
records, and legal documents; as well as pamphlets, broadsides, speeches, sheet music, and other printed matter.
The Ethnic Studies Library, The University of California, Berkeley
The Ethnic Studies Library contains one of the most comprehensive and unique Asian American Studies Collections in the United
States, including materials on the cultural, political, and socio-economic life of Asian Americans and
Chinese
Overseas. Aside from developing a core collection on the identified Asian American groups--Asian Indian,
Chinese
, Filipino, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian American (Cambodian, Lao, Lao Hmong, Lao Mien, Thai and Vietnamese Americans),
the Asian American Collections also contain the largest
Chinese
American archival collection in the world.
Chinese
Overseas. Aside from developing a core collection on the identified Asian American groups--Asian Indian,
Chinese
, Filipino, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian American (Cambodian, Lao, Lao Hmong, Lao Mien, Thai and Vietnamese Americans),
the Asian American Collections also contain the largest
Chinese
American archival collection in the world.
Chinese
American Archives contains manuscripts, diaries, correspondence, newsletters and other primary source materials, including
the largest collection of biographies on prominent people in different fields and active community members. This is the most
extensive collection of its kind. The collection also contains newspapers collections in
Chinese
and English dating from 1880 to the present; an extensive slide collection on
Chinese
American history; hundreds of photographs on historic events; and a numerous historical posters by Asian American artists
announcing community events. There are over hundred unique archival collections including the collection of Dr. Margaret Chung,
the first
Chinese
American Woman Physician (1916) and the documents of the
Chinese
Empire Reform Association (it also called Baohuang Hui) on the political activities of
Chinese
Overseas, pa house. Also included are The
Chinese
Historical Society of America Collections, The Ray Jones Collection (Jones was a fervent
Chinese
anarchist in the United States), and University of California at Berkeley Alumni Collection, including collections from Mr.
Yuk Ow, Mr. Him Mark Lai, and Professor Judy Yung.
California Historical Society, San Francisco
The California Historical Society (CHS) was founded in 1871, and designated by the state legislature in 1973 as the official
historical society of California. Its mission is to engage the public's interest and participation in collecting, preserving,
and presenting art, artifacts, and written materials relevant to the history of California and to support historical research,
publication, and educational activities. The Society's holdings include research collections of library, archival and photography
materials, as well as a fine arts collection with more than 5000 works of art that document the history of California in both
the 19th and 20th centuries. Plans for the library were developed after the Society reorganized in 1922, and C. Templeton
Crocker (1884-1948), eager to find a permanent home for his sizable collection of Californiana, placed it on permanent loan
to the Society in 1923. Now owned by CHS, the library's collections today are built upon the strengths of Crocker's collection.
Housed in the North Baker Research Library at the Society's headquarters in San Francisco, the Society's research collections
of primary and secondary resources include over 35,000 volumes of books and pamphlets, more than 4,000 manuscript collections,
and some 500,000 photographs documenting California's social, cultural, economic, and political history and development, along
with a large collection of maps, ephemera, posters, broadsides, periodicals, and newspapers relating to the history of California
and the West from the early explorations to the present time.
The library's collection of rare books is notable for its 17th, 18th, and 19th century volumes on early explorations of the
West and the Pacific, and many early books relating to the Mission period and the Gold Rush in California. Its manuscript
collections include diaries of overland travelers as well as trips to California around the Horn and over the Isthmus of Panama.
Its photography collections represent unique holding of many of California's most prestigious photographers, including Carleton
Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge and Arnold Genthe. Of particular note among the many images that document the social, political,
and cultural evolution of California are Genthe's street scenes of the San Francisco
Chinese
community in the late 1800s. The Library is also home to the Kemble Collections on Western Printing and Publishing, one of
the most complete collections of materials documenting printing and publishing in the western United States, consisting of
more than 4,000 books, extensive pamphlet and ephemeral materials, photographs, periodicals and manuscript material. The research
collections at CHS include many sources reflecting the social life, culture, and commerce of
Chinese
immigrants as well as the varying responses of other communities and individuals to the
Chinese
.
Chinese
community in the late 1800s. The Library is also home to the Kemble Collections on Western Printing and Publishing, one of
the most complete collections of materials documenting printing and publishing in the western United States, consisting of
more than 4,000 books, extensive pamphlet and ephemeral materials, photographs, periodicals and manuscript material. The research
collections at CHS include many sources reflecting the social life, culture, and commerce of
Chinese
immigrants as well as the varying responses of other communities and individuals to the
Chinese
.
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