Chinatown, San Francisco
Arnold Genthe
American, born Germany. 1869–1942
1896-1906
A gelatin silver print in which Arnold Genthe records a group of Chinatown residents, aiming to capture the everyday life and atmosphere of San Francisco’s Chinese quarter.
Faces and hats emerge from deep shadow in a rhythmic procession of profiles and half-lit expressions, the soft focus and grain lending the scene a hushed, almost cinematic quality.
Made around the turn of the century, this photograph helped shape early street and documentary photography by presenting urban immigrant life to a wider public, even as such images also contributed to popular, sometimes exoticizing, perceptions of Chinatown.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
7 13/16 × 13 5/16" (19.8 × 33.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the artist
Accession
68.1964
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
