Emily Aida Collins And Her Grandchildren

Emily Aida Collins And Her Grandchildren

Photographs of Yucho Chow

This is a photograph taken by Yucho Chow (a very well known Chinese-descended photographer who operated a store in Vancouver Chinatown) in 1944 of a woman named Emily Aida and her grandchildren. Chinatowns were hubs of multiculturalism, whether as a result of discriminatory housing laws preventing marginalized persons (particularly the Chinese) from residing elsewhere or individuals fearing isolation in a hostile community by living outside of the diaspora. They were spaces where different cultures could reconnect with their heritage in amicable communities. In the case of this photograph, it’s providing a place for this mixed race (European and African-descended ancestry) family to openly embrace and express their familial connection. While interracial marriage was legal, it was still socially shunned during this period, which highlights in this photo the level of acceptance African diaspora could receive in Chinese diasporic communities, and a conscious choice to collaborate in this personal way.

Yucho Chow

The image can be found in the following blog post:

Grazley, Jana. “Yucho Chow Community Archive collection now at the Archives!.” AuthentiCity, November 22, 2021. https://www.vancouverarchives.ca/2021/11/22/yucho-chow-community-archive-collection-now-at-cva/.

City of Vancouver Archives

1944

Public Domain (but potentially requires permission of the family who donated)

JPG file

English

Still Image