What is the story behind an engraved illustration of a glamorous Chinese theater in San Francisco from 1870? Published in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, the object gives rise to a series of questions.
Nancy Yunhwa Rao, author of Inside Chinese Theater: Community and Artistry in Nineteenth-Century California and Beyond, gives a talk that looks at the engraving as an object, placing it in multiple contexts, exploring its history, connection to mid-19th century migration pattern, and linking it to sources old and new, such as news reports, digitization efforts, and museum exhibitions.
