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A Local View of Old Chinatown: The Lisa See Collection

Posted on Tue., May 23, 2023

Author Lisa See has given The Huntington a trove of more than 300 rare glass plate negatives and photographs, some dating back to the late 19th century. These photographs were taken in and around Los Angeles’ Old Chinatown. The studio portraits and street scenes provide a rare view of daily life in the city’s original Chinatown, which thrived mainly from 1890 to 1910, before it was largely cleared in the 1930s to make way for Union Station.

In this video, See discusses the collection with Li Wei Yang, curator of Pacific Rim Collections.

A selection of images from the Lisa See collection

Group of Chinese children outside with two women.
View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown.
View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown.
Boy standing on pile of rubble.
Man and four children outside store, Kwong On & Co., address number 432.
View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown.
Group of Chinese children outside with two women.
View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown.
View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown.
Boy standing on pile of rubble.
Man and four children outside store, Kwong On & Co., address number 432.
View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown.

Group of Chinese children outside with two women. | Lisa See collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown. | Lisa See collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown. | Lisa See collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

 Boy standing on pile of rubble. | Lisa See collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Man and four children outside store, Kwong On & Co., address number 432. | Lisa See collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

View of the intersection of Alameda Street and Marchessault Street in Old Chinatown.
  | Lisa See collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

View more photos at the Huntington Digital Library