[AMERICAN] probably San Francisco

Details
[AMERICAN] probably San Francisco

Portrait of a Chinese labourer sitting next to an American lady, circa 1880s

Tintype, 3¾ x 2 in., in modern custom-made balsa-wood case.

Lot Essay

A rare document of a woman wearing a large hat and holding an umbrella sitting next to a Chinese immigrant worker wearing a western- style felt hat and holding a small gold-digging tool in his hand. Social etiquette during the goldrush period in California did not approve of American ladies sitting next to Chinese or Asian workers.

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