Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Arnold Genthe Collection,
[Reproduction number e.g., LC-DIG-ppmsca-123456]
Arnold Genthe (German, 1869-1942) was born into an educated family, where he liked to say that he and his brothers spoke 15 modern and classical languages between them. He graduated with a doctorate in classical philology prior to arriving in the United States with a two-year position as a private tutor to a wealthy family in San Francisco. Beguiled by the city, on his days off his travels took him to Chinatown (known as Tangrenbu) on numerous occasions and ultimately resulted in a collection of 200 photographs on glass negatives. Some of these images were published in local magazines, and encouraged by that acceptance, Genthe opened his own photo studio in 1898 where he created portraits of both society figures and local characters. The allure of Tangrenbu and its inhabitants continued to attract him in his search for pleasing or unusual images to produce for sale such as Pigtail Parade and The Shoemaker, both highlighted the charm and allure of the “other” San Francisco and its immigrant populations. Images such as The Fish Dealer’s Daughter and The Paper Gatherer illustrated the life of the streets and the impoverished conditions of many of its inhabitants. His studio was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, though these images survived in a bank vault, and were later published in “Pictures of Old Chinatown,” 1909. In 1911, Genthe moved to New York where he opened another photo studio specializing in celebrity and society portraiture as well as documenting the dance.
The Fish Dealer’s Daughter | Ross Alley (The Street of the Gamblers) | The Balloon Man, Jewish vendor | A Proud Father, Dupont Street | Street Vendor | The Shoe Maker | The Paper Gatherer | PigTail Parade
Arnold Genthe
The Fish Dealer’s Daughter, c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2011.01.012
Arnold Genthe
Ross Alley (The Street of the Gamblers), c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2011.01.034
Arnold Genthe
The Balloon-Man, Jewish vendor, c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2011.01.074
Arnold Genthe
A Proud Father, Dupont Street, c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2011.01.077
Arnold Genthe
Street Vendor, c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2011.01.023
Arnold Genthe
The Shoe Maker, c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2011.01.035
Arnold Genthe
The Paper Gatherer, c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2011.01.037
Arnold Genthe
PigTail Parade, c. 1896-1906
Gelatin silver print
2022.01.086
Images by Jacqui Hopely Monkell