Bud Glick Photography

New York Chinatown

 

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  • A group of men in Bayard St. during a Lunar New Year celebration in New York Chinatown in 1984. In the foreground a man is beating on a large gong.
  • Catherine St., New York Chinatown, 1981.
  • In front of 41 Kenmare St, New York City, 1982.The children in the photograph, now in their 40s, all grew up in 41 Kenmare and still keep in touch.
  • Catherine St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • New York Chinatown, 1983.
  • Club Lunch sandwich shop, 2 East Broadway, New York Chinatown, 1983.
  • Kam Ho Lee, an elderly Chinese man, sits on the stoop of his apartment building, reading the newspaper, with his gandson, Vincent Lee, sleeping in his lap.
  • Mrs. Chiu, an elderly Chinese woman, sits on the bed in her apartment on Pearl St. in New York Chinatown, 1981.
  • The altar in Mrs. Chiu's apartment, New York Chinatown, 1981.
  • Mrs. Chiu, Mott St., 1983
  • Mr. Ng sits at the table in the apartment he shares with 3 other men, Bayard St., New York Chinatown, 1982
  • Portrait of a man in a Bachelor Apartment on Bayard St., New York Chinatown, 1982
  • A view of the kitchen in the Bachelor Apartment on Bayard St. in New York Chinatown.
  • 3 men at the common table eating dinner in Bachelor Apartment, they share on Bayard St., New York Chinatown, 1982
  • A man eats dinner at the common table in the Bachelor Apartment he shares with 3 other men on Bayard St. in New York Chinatown. Mr. Ng read a newspaper in the doorway in the background. 1982
  • A man sleeps on his bed in the Bachelor Apartment he shares with 3 other men, Bayard St., New York Chinatown, 1982. He is surrounded by his belongings, including coats and jackets hanging on the wall above him.
  • Mr. Ng sits in a doorway reading a newspaper in the bachelor apartment he shares with 3 other men on Bayard St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Chow, Baldwin, Long Island, 1981.When I shared this photo in 2018 with my collegue, the oral historian Yuet-fung Ho, she reminded me of their story. Yuet and I went to the Chow's home to interview and photograph them. 37 years had passed. Memories had faded, but Yuet remembered them vividly:Mr. Chow was a very lively, articulate man. He was an old hand laundry worker, and he really hated his work. He was bitter about his experience in this country because he left his wife (in China) and didn't see her for 30-something years. Eventually he was able to apply for his wife to come meet him. When they finally met, they didn't recognize each other. It was a bitter life, but he did come to terms with it. He was always very good to his wife. For them, everyday together was such a precious thing.As Yuet retold their story she finished by saying the worst thing that happened to Mr. Chow was that he outlived his wife. He was devoted to her and did not want to live any more without her.From that moment, I couldn't get their story out of my thoughts. I kept thinking about the Chows, their long separation and Mr. Chow's lifetime of work that he hated. Their personal story is emblematic of the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act and its consequences in the lives of countless Chinese Americans.For me, the photograph expresses Mr. and Mrs. Chow's triumph over the injustice of Exclusion. Mrs. Chow is steadfast and present, anchored to the table, looking directly at the camera. Her body language says, {quote}I am here.{quote} The weight and gentleness of Mr. Chow's hand, his embrace, and his fixed gaze upon her hold her to him. They are inseparable. They become one.
  • Kue Jong Barbershop, 18A Doyers St., 1981.
  • New York Chinatown, 1981
  • New York Chinatown, 1982
  • PS 1, New York City, 1981
  • PS 1, Catherine St., New York City, 1981
  • PS 1 playground, Catherine St., New York City, 1982
  • PS 1 playground, New York Chinatown, 1982
  • Mott St., New York City, 1983
  • San Gennaro Festival, Mulberry St., 1983.
  • Mott St, NYC, 1983
  • Wing Gong Wetwash, Greenpoint Brooklyn, 1981.A wet wash was a factory size laundry, often with a multicultural workforce. It had its roots in the exclusion of Chinese Americans from many occupations.
  • Wing Gong wet wash, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 1981.
  • Wing Gong Wetwash, Greenpoint Brooklyn, 1981.A wet wash was a factory size laundry, often with a multicultural workforce. It had its roots in the exclusion of Chinese Americans from many occupations.
  • Wing Gong wet wash, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 1981.
  • Wing Gong Wetwash, Greenpoint Brooklyn, 1981.A wet wash was a factory size laundry, often with a multicultural workforce. It had its roots in the exclusion of Chinese Americans from many occupations.
  • A view of Geolan Sportswear a Garment factory, 202 Centre St. New York Chinatown, 1983. Numerous people are shown working in the factory that is lit with flourescent lights.
  • Mo, seen in a fog of steam, presses a garment at Geolan Sportswear, a garment factory, 202 Centre St. New York Chinatown, 1983
  • Mo Xi Kuen, Geolan Sportswear, 202 Centre St., New York City, 1983
  • Elevator operator stands in garment factory elevator lit by a single light bulb. 202 Centre St., New York Chinatown, 1983
  • Big Tall Chin behind the counter holding the front door open and looking out at the street, Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982
  • Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982.
  • Big Tall Chin folds and packages laundry at Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982
  • A view of the counter with a clothes iron, laundry bag, thermos and a large cardboard box. Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982
  • Big Tall Chin, Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982.
  • Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982.
  • Back room, Sam Wah Laundry, Bronx, New York, 1982. Owners often lived in their laundry so kitchens and beds were a typical feature of these work spaces.
  • Big Tall Chin rests, sitting on the counter after folding and packeging laundry. A single light bulb lights her from behind. Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982
  • Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, New York, 1982.
  • Big Tall Chin with her daughters, Oymin Chin and Lemin Chin, Sam Wah Laundry, 1980 Creston Ave., Bronx, NY 1982
  • Hand laundry, Queens, New York, 1981.
  • New York Chinatown, 1982
  • Frankie Wong with his son Steven in front of his grocery store, Catherine St., NYC, 1981
  • Freeman Wong in front of his family's grocery store, Catherine St., NYC, 1981
  • Men working outside on the sidewalk at Catherine and Henry St., New York Chinatown, 1982. On the left side a man smoking a cigarette carries a bag of scallops while other men sort through boxes of seefod. Looking down Henry St. toward the Manhattan Bridge.
  • Zee Ying Chan Wong with her daughter Lina Wong, in front of their grocery store, Catherine St., NYC, 1981.
  • Men playing Mahjong in the back room of Frankie Wong's butcher shop, Fook Hing Long, 27 Catherine St., New York Chinatown, 1981. Frankie's is seen in silhouette with his back to the camera.
  • Catherine and Henry St., New York Chinatown, 1982. A woman with an umbrella walks in a snow storm. She is seen form inside, framed by the entrance to Frankie Wong's seafood stre at Catherine and Henry St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Yee Lam Chan, Catherine & Henry St., New York City, 1981.
  • Frankie Wong in front of his grocery store on Catherine St., New York City, 1981.
  • Frankie Wong (2nd from left) with friends in front of his grocery store on Catherine St., New York City, 1981.
  • Mulberry St., New York City, 1982.
  • Mott St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Frankie Wong with his son Steven in front of his store, Catherine St., NYC, 1981
  • Senior Citizens' Center, Bayard St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Gee Family Association cemetary visit, Queens, NY, 1983
  • Mulberry St., New York City, 1982.
  • In front of 18 Bowery, New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Columbus Park, New York City, 1982.
  • Columbus Park, New York City, 1983.
  • Columbus Park, New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Columbus Park, New York City, 1982.
  • PS 1 playground, New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • F Train, New York City, 1982.
  • Division St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Division St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Columbus Park, New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Kam Ho Lee babysits for his grandchildren while their parents are at work.
  • Kam Ho Lee's grandchildren play on the stairway, 9 Eldridge St., 1983.
  • Kam Ho Lee's father Sam Ho Lee, 9 Eldridge St.,1983
  • Kam Ho Lee's apartment, 9 Eldridge St.,1983
  • Rebecca with her children in their kitchen, New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Rebecca with her children in their kitchen, New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Rebecca with her children in their kitchen, New York City, 1982.
  • New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Woman in her apartment, New York Chinatown, 1981
  • New York Chinatown, 1981
  • Couple in their apartment, New York Chinatown, 1983
  • New York Chinatown, 1983
  • New York Chinatown, 1983
  • Lunar New Year, Mott St., New York City, 1983
  • Lunar New Year, East Broadway, New York City, 1983
  • Lunar New Year, Mott St., New York Chinatown, 1984.
  • Lunar New Year, Mott St., New York Chinatown, 1984.
  • Lunar New Year, Mott St., New York Chinatown, 1984.
  • Funeral, New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Funeral, Mulberry St., New York Chinatown, 1982.The part of Mulberry Street next to Columbus Park used to be home to funeral homes run by Italian Americans when Little Italy stretched south of Canal Street. After Chinese moved into the area and took over the funeral businesses, some of the Italian workers stayed on. This photograph shows a funeral with Chinese banners being held up by non-Chinese funeral home workers.
  • Columbus Park, New York Chinatown,1983.The women in this photograph were watching the funeral proceedings depicted in the previous photograph, directly across the street.
  • Wah Nan Co., 46 Mulberry St., New York Chinatown,1982.This is in the back of the store, which was a community gathering place for these men. It had functioned as a mail drop for some men and the owner wrote letters for people who were illiterate.
  • Wah Nan Co., 46 Mulberry St., New York City, 1982.
  • Produce distributor, Bayard St., New York Chinatown, 1982.
  • Tony, Catherine St., New York Chinatown, 1981.
  • Mr. Soo, East Broadway, New York Chinatown,1982.
  • Chinatown Senior Citizens’ Center, Bayard St., New York City, 1982.
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