Title:
Chinatown Street Portrait – San Francisco – A.J. McDonald, ca. 1880s
Description:
This original mounted albumen print shows a close street-level view in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the late 19th century. The photograph centers on a Chinese man carrying a small child dressed in a brimless cap and layered garments. Other figures stand and walk along the boardwalk, some pausing near shop entrances shaded by large canvas awnings.
In the background, multi-story buildings with elaborate ironwork balconies and wood façades line the street. Hanging fabric banners and a jumble of street-level merchandise evoke the district’s commercial activity and daily life.
The mount is captioned in ink:
“Chinatown – San Francisco.”
Photographic Type:
Albumen print on original cabinet card mount. Albumen printing was the dominant process between the 1860s–1890s, producing the warm sepia tonality visible here.
Technique:
Produced from a glass plate negative with moderate exposure time, resulting in slight motion blur of the figures in the foreground.
Estimated Dimensions:
Image: approx. 11 × 19 cm (4.3 × 7.5 in)
Mount: approx. 13 × 21.5 cm (5.1 × 8.4 in)
Date:
c. 1880s
Photographer:
A.J. McDonald, 426 Kearny Street, San Francisco, California.
The reverse bears his violet ink stamp and the stamp of C. Beach, Bookseller & Stationer, 107 Montgomery St., San Francisco.
Condition:
Overall fading typical of albumen prints of this age, reducing contrast but retaining visible detail.
Scattered spotting and light toning to the mount.
Corners are squared, edges clean.
No tears, creases, or repairs noted.
Keywords:
San Francisco, Chinatown, Chinese American history, 19th century photography, street portrait, A.J. McDonald, albumen print, cabinet card, ethnic studies, urban life
References:
Hannavy, J. (Ed.). (2008). Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Routledge.
Palmquist, P.E., & Kailbourn, T.R. (2000). Pioneer Photographers of the Far West: A Biographical Dictionary, 1840–1865. Stanford University Press.