Natural Resources

Chinese-American Shop Sign

Description

This sign was purchased by a North Beach second-hand shop from a proprietor in the neighboring Chinatown district of San Francisco. It is said to date from between 1890 and 1910. If that is so, the sign’s survival is quite miraculous: The 1906 earthquake in April of that year caused much damage throughout the city due to spreading wildfires. Residents of Chinatown grabbed what they could easily carry and evacuated the neighborhood ahead of the fires, taking up temporary residence in relief camps in San Francisco and Oakland. Relocating Chinatown permanently to Hunter’s Point or North Beach was discussed, but, with realization of the continued need for the tax base provided by foreign trade between the business community and Asia, Chinatown was ultimately rebuilt at its original location and continued to be not only a major center for the Chinese American community but a popular destination for tourists to the present day.

Translation of this shop sign would help to document a portion of the economic history of this neighborhood. It is likely that the language is Cantonese, the dialect used in Southern China, which was engaged in foreign trade long before military oppression and American labor recruitment in the mid-19th century brought immigrants to “Gun San” or the “Land of the Golden Mountain,” as the Cantonese referred to the West Coast of the United States. Not only did Chinese pan for gold in San Francisco. They labored excavating coal, mercury, and borax, building railway lines and tunnels, and working for fisheries and canneries throughout Far West. Economic depression following the Civil War brought fear, discrimination, and violence to established Chinese communities. Successively restrictive acts of Congress prohibited further Chinese immigration beginning in 1882, with continuing restrictions of civil rights until the Immigration Law of 1965 eliminated such restrictions, bringing a new wave of migration to the United States from Asia.

With dwindling opportunities to earn enough money to return home, Chinese Americans turned to such service industries as laundries and restaurants and specialized increasingly in trade abroad. But this sign also may have advertised availability of herbal medicines, foodstuffs, cookwares, or furnishings desired by the local Chinese American community, which, while changing in population, has survived in San Francisco to the present day.

ID Number

1985.0844.02

accession number

1985.0844

catalog number

1985.0844.02

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Environmental Button

Description

Water is one of our most precious natural resources. Having a ready supply of water for drinking and irrigation is of paramount concern to society. Water conservation is a great concern to those living in arid regions of the western United States, such as Nevada, where this button was produced.

Location

Currently not on view

ID Number

2003.0014.0571

catalog number

2003.0014.0571

accession number

2003.0014

Data Source

National Museum of American History

National Bank Note Proof Sheet

Description

In 1904, California-born Amadeo Giannini, son of Italian emigrants from near Genoa, opened the Bank of Italy in San Francisco. The bank loaned money to immigrants and established its reputation in rebuilding San Francisco after the earthquake of 1906. All the loans during that effort were repaid according to Giannini.

In 2004, the institution celebrated its centennial in Rome as the Bank of America. It is one of the largest corporations in the world. It is also the foremost issuer of credit cards after its merger with MBNA, as well as the foremost lender to small businesses in the United States.

Location

Currently not on view

ID Number

NNC.297219.00535

accession number

297219

catalog number

NNC*297219.00535

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Apple Macintosh Mouse

Description

Invented in 1963, the mouse improved interactions with computers. However, not until 1984, when Apple Computers introduced the Macintosh and its graphical user interface, did the mouse become a standard computer component.

Location

Currently not on view

Date made

1984

maker

Apple Computer

ID Number

1985.3011.01.1

catalog number

1985.3011.01.1

nonaccession number

1985.3011

Data Source

National Museum of American History

1950 Studebaker Champion Coupe

Description

The 1950 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe attracted attention because of its ultramodern styling. Its center "nose" resembled an airplane, and its wraparound rear window and long, horizontal rear deck were radically different from "teardrop" cars of the 1930s and 1940s. While celebrating the machine age, the 1950 and 1951 Studebaker also marked a sharp break from 1930s streamlined or art deco styling and the beginning of flamboyant, futuristic styling of the 1950s. Studebaker led the way in this design and marketing change, and the Big Three auto manufacturers soon followed. Studebaker sales were fairly strong after World War II and reached a peak with the 1950 model.

The post-World War II market for new cars initially was a seller's market. Supplies were limited, and waiting lists were long. New-car buyers settled for almost anything with four wheels and an engine, including slightly modified 1942 models and cars purchased sight unseen. But by the late 1940s supplies had increased, and auto manufacturers had to offer new features to attract comparison shoppers. Eye-catching styling was one way to sell cars. Studebaker was one of the first manufacturers to completely restyle its line, for the 1947 model year. The 1950 Studebaker featured even more radical revisions and styling changes. Robert E. Bourke, an automotive stylist who worked with the renowned industrial designer Raymond Loewy, was largely responsible for the 1950 Studebaker's styling, now considered a classic of its era.

date made

1949-08-04

maker

Studebaker Corporation

ID Number

2003.0223.02

accession number

2003.0223

catalog number

2003.0223.02

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Football, used in Super Bowl XIV

Description (Brief)

This ball was used in Super Bowl XIV, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 20, 1980. In the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19. It was the Steelers' fourth Super Bowl win and the second straight year that Terry Bradshaw took home the Most Valuable Player trophy.

The Wilson Sporting Goods Company introduced the Wilson Duke football during the early 1940s. Wilson has provided the official ball for the National Football League's Super Bowl since Super Bowl II in 1968.

Location

Currently not on view

date made

1979

user

Pittsburgh Steelers

maker

Wilson Sporting Goods Company

ID Number

1980.0131.05

accession number

1980.0131

catalog number

1980.0131.05

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Environmental Button

Description

Produced by the group Zero Population Growth, this button highlights anxiety created by the continued growth of the world’s population, first remarked upon by Englishman Thomas Malthus in his 1798 work, An Essay on the Principle of Population. Paul R. Ehrlich’s bestselling book The Population Bomb, published in 1968, renewed interest in the topic by raising concerns about the potential risks of overpopulation.

Location

Currently not on view

maker

Zero Population Growth

ID Number

2003.0014.0137

accession number

2003.0014

catalog number

2003.0014.0137

Data Source

National Museum of American History