Chinatown in San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake

Between 1839 and 1860, due to the ongoing opium wars, many Chinese left for the United States in search of a better life, attracted by the California gold rush and the opportunity to work on the transcontinental railroad.

Settling in cities along the west coast of the United States, Chinese immigrants formed communities that became known as Chinatowns. These places of compact settlement made it easier for the Chinese to assimilate into the new country. Many of them still exist in the form of cultural and commercial centers and historical sites. (1900)

Life in San Francisco's chinatowns has been well documented by photographer Arnold Genthe, who moved from Germany to San Francisco to work as a mentor in a wealthy German family. When his contract expired, he stayed in San Francisco and opened a photo studio.

Ghent was fascinated by Chinatown and took hundreds of photos of these neighborhoods and their residents. When shooting, he used a small camera, which sometimes allowed him to shoot unnoticed.

These images of chinatowns are among the few that survived after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. They survived the disaster while in a bank safe.

After the earthquake, the photographer restored his studio and continued to work in San Francisco and the surrounding area until 1911, when he moved to New York.

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