Alley in Chinatown 1898

Helen Hyde created this color etching entitled "Alley in Chinatown". Hyde, as a white American woman, situated herself within the cultural milieu of early 20th-century orientalism. She lived in Japan for many years and made a career out of depicting Japanese and, in this case, Chinese subjects. Here, we see a woman and child walking away from us down an alley, perhaps in San Francisco. Painted lanterns cast a rosy glow, while their reflections shimmer in the wet street. The print offers us a glimpse into a world that, for many Americans at the time, was seen as exotic and foreign. Yet it is also a picture of intimacy: the bond between mother and child is palpable, their figures huddled together against the elements. Hyde's work invites us to consider the complex dynamics of cultural exchange and representation, and the ways in which artists can both bridge and reinforce cultural divides.