Title:
Going to the Matinee – Chinatown, San Francisco – A.J. McDonald, ca. 1880s
Description:
This original mounted albumen print depicts a street scene in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the late 19th century. The photograph shows a group of men walking along the sidewalk, several of them wearing traditional garments and long braids.
In the center, four figures walk together, the lead figure glancing back toward the camera. A man in the foreground is seen from behind, his queue hanging over his jacket.
The street is lined with multi-story buildings featuring ornate balconies and shuttered windows. Canvas awnings shade shop entrances, and signage in Chinese characters is visible along the facades. The background shows additional pedestrians, utility poles, and horse-drawn wagons.
This photograph is titled in the negative:
“162 GOING TO THE MATINEE. Chinatown”
and bears a handwritten ink inscription on the mount:
“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, recording detail in architecture and figures.
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.
Condition:
Overall fading typical of albumen prints of this age, reducing contrast but retaining legibility.
Light toning and minor spotting to mount.
Corners are squared, edges clean.
No tears, creases, or repairs noted.
Keywords:
San Francisco, Chinatown, Chinese American history, 19th century street photography, California photography, A.J. McDonald, albumen print, cabinet card, ethnic studies, urban culture
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.