Chinese-American Business Directory Published the Same Year of the Chinese Exclusion Act, San Francisco, 1882

Directory with inclusion of Chinese-American businesses printed directly after the signing of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Langley, Henry G. Langley’s San Francisco Directory for the Year Commencing April, 1882. San Francisco: Francis, Valentine & Co., Printers, 1882. First edition. Profusely illustrated with printed advertisements on boards and throughout the interior margins. Original publisher’s printed paper boards over leather spine. 8vo. 1,169 pages. One of the earliest and most detailed annual directories documenting San Francisco’s urban and commercial life during the Gilded Age, this 1882 edition is especially significant for its inclusion of (truncated) a rare “Alphabetical List of the Principal Chinese Business Firms of San Francisco.” Compiled only a few months after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was signed into law, this listing stands as a rare testament to the robust economic presence of Chinese Americans within the city during a time of rising anti-Asian sentiment and legally sanctioned discrimination. The content encompasses an exhaustive index of residents and businesses, maps, guides to streets, public offices, municipal organizations, and a large variety of advertisements for local goods and services. Of particular historical importance is the dedicated section identifying Chinese-owned businesses, including laundries, cigar factories, mercantile houses, and produce vendors. This explicit recognition of San Francisco’s Chinatown economy is significant given the period’s rampant anti-Chinese sentiment, culminating in violent expulsions and restrictive immigration policies. Chinatown at the time was both a cultural sanctuary and a target of racialized scapegoating, yet directories such as this reveal how indispensable Chinese businesses were to the broader urban economy. Small wormhole through front to back cover. Wear to covers, minor loss to bottom right corner of title page. Binding is tight, else clean. Overall very good condition. (Inventory #: 21908)