Wonderful Image of Chinatown Shopping Street
Provision Market in Alley in Chinatown, San Francisco (B 2689)
Publication: San Francisco: Taber Photo. [Late 1880s].
Notes: A terrific 19th century Chinatown albumen photograph that offers an interesting contrast to Taber's many well-known photographs of Cheong Wo & Co., a butcher shop that was located nearby. This view was just a half-block away, at the corner of Washington Street and the Washington Place alley. The shops in this photo are grittier and less-well tended.
Taber managed to catch a poultry butcher at the far left in a beam of light. Directly in front of him, a fast-moving pedestrian is just a blur. A number of Chinese men stand on the sidewalk or walk down the alley. Instead of the elaborate displays of Cheong Wo, most of the merchants on this street have only small round tables of goods in front of their stores. Piles of crates and boxes line one side of the alley.
Taber's 1889 catalog of images includes four labeled "provision market." One is identified as negative 2869; that may be the same as this image with two numbers transposed.
The albumen print measures 9-1/2 by 7-1/2 inches and is captioned in the image in a narrow strip along the bottom of the print.
Edition + Condition: A very good print, a bit over exposed in the center, where sunlight falls on the alley (some prints have better contrast in this portion of the image). There is a bit of discoloration on the left margin of the photograph, which is otherwise near fine. Never mounted.
Item No: #364056
Price: $1,250