Fine pictorial map of San Francisco Chinatown by a Chinese-American artist.
Souvenir Map of San Francisco Chinatown
Out of stock
Description
Exceptional pictorial map of San Francisco’s Chinatown, dating to the Summer of Love, 1967. Oriented with West at the top, the map extends south-north from California St. to Broadway, and east-west from Kearny St. to Powell St.
With wonderful illustrations of local businesses and historic buildings, the illustrator (himself a Chinese-American) creates a joyful atmosphere that promotes one of the most unique urban districts in all of the United States.
This is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese enclave outside Asia. It is also the oldest and largest of the four notable Chinese enclaves within San Francisco. Since its establishment in 1848, it has been highly important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants in North America.
With no recorded institutional examples and only a few anecdotal mentions of examples in private collections, this map is apparently quite rare.
Cartographer(s):
Bob Chan (fl. c. 1964 – 1968) was a Chinese-American illustrator based in San Francisco. Active in the 1960s, Chan worked for both private firms and the San Francisco Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.
Jin-A-Graphics Printing CompanyJin-A-Graphics Printing Company (1967 – 1969), based first in San Jose and then in Santa Clara, specialized in color lithography. It opened in 1967 and was acquired by the Berkeley firm Computer Dynamics in 1969.
Condition Description
Some foxing close to the right bottom edge and in the bottom right corner, a tiny hole at the upper margin, otherwise a clean item with lovely illustrations.
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