J. H. Peters
Portrait of a Chinese-American Man, San Francisco, 1880s
Hand-tinted albumen print
6 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches
Peters' New York Gallery imprint verso.
Peters' New York Gallery imprint verso.
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This cabinet card photograph shows an unidentified Chinese-American man seated beside a vase with flowers and a small piece of pottery, all of which are precisely and delicately hand-tinted, as...
This cabinet card photograph shows an unidentified Chinese-American man seated beside a vase with flowers and a small piece of pottery, all of which are precisely and delicately hand-tinted, as are the subject’s shoes.
The photograph was taken by John Henry Peters, a pioneering photographer who came to California to prospect in 1851. After making his fortunes in the mines, he opened his “New York Gallery” on Third Street. In the mid-1880s he lost a great deal of money playing the stocks, sold his gallery, and returned to his native Germany. Discontented abroad, he soon returned to San Francisco and opened another gallery at 914 Market Street. However, the loss of fortunes had left him despondent, and in 1896 he shot himself in the head in his photo studio. At the time of his suicide he was oldest established photographer in the city.
The photograph was taken by John Henry Peters, a pioneering photographer who came to California to prospect in 1851. After making his fortunes in the mines, he opened his “New York Gallery” on Third Street. In the mid-1880s he lost a great deal of money playing the stocks, sold his gallery, and returned to his native Germany. Discontented abroad, he soon returned to San Francisco and opened another gallery at 914 Market Street. However, the loss of fortunes had left him despondent, and in 1896 he shot himself in the head in his photo studio. At the time of his suicide he was oldest established photographer in the city.