Charming photo of the "Miss Chinatown" beauty pageant, a San Francisco contest which was held on the 4th of July from 1948 until 1952, when the Chinese Chamber of Congress decided to fold the event into the city's popular Chinese New Years Festival. By 1958, the festival had grown so large, attracting visitors from across the US, that the Chamber of Congress decided to make the beauty contest a national one, "Miss Chinatown USA," which is still held annually.

Chester Gan (1908 - 1959) was a Hollywood character actor (as well as photographer, restaurateur and slipper store owner) who was born in Grass Valley to Chinese parents. After a university education in China, he returned to the states and had a long career, appearing in almost 100 films. Though he was often relegated to portraying Asian stereotypes, he also worked as an interpreter and consultant of Chinese customs for such films as "The Good Earth." After a stint in the navy during World War II, he opened a commercial photo studio in San Francisco, which he operated until his death in 1959.