The staff of the Hagley Library was saddened to hear of the fire that struck the Museum of Chinese in America last week. The museum, which is dedicated to “preserving and presenting the history, heritage, culture and diverse experiences of people of Chinese descent in the United States” was likely spared direct fire damage, but museum staff expects to find significant water damage to their priceless collections. A fundraising page has been established for the museum, for those who can contribute.
This postcard from the Manhattan Post Card Co. depicts a circa 1920s street scene of Pell Street, in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood. Toward the center left of the image, a sign for the Mon Lay Won restaurant at 24 Pell Street can be seen. The eatery's sign hailed itself as "The Chinese Delmonico" in an effort to attract non-Chinese guests by capitalizing on the famous Delmonico name.
The postcard is part of the Hagley Library’s collection of Postcards of motels, roadside attractions, restaurants, etc. in the United States (Accession 2007.214). To view more material from this collection, click here to visit its page in our Digital Archive.