Image of Chinese immigrants at the San Francisco Custom house

Image of Chinese immigrants at the San Francisco Custom house

California, San Francisco, Chinese Immigrants, Custom House,

This image is from the front of Harper’s Weekly, a popular magazine during the 19th century. The picture depicts a line of Chinese immigrants getting off a boat at San Francisco and waiting in a room. The room is identified as the custom house. The Chinese immigrants are drawn to be fitting in with stereotypes in terms of clothing and hair. In comparison the white men who are inspecting them as they arrive are dressed in suits with top hats and stand tall. They are seemingly overpowering the immigrants even though there is a lot less of them, their manner suggests otherwise. The immigrants look unhappy and frustrated, almost like they do not want to be there. From research I gather this depiction is because they are meant to be disrespectful and a threat towards white Americans. However, their anger and frustration came from the treatment they received.

Harpers Weekly

Library of Congress Archives

https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b39848/

1877

Sarah Smith

Library of Congress States (no known restrictions on publication)

N/A

Visual - illustration

19th century California