Roaming at The Huntington Library, Gardens and Museum on November 23rd

My friend Bill and I enjoyed lunch on the veranda at The Huntington on Monday and strolled over the the Library building to see a special exhibit.  The exhibit is entitled Y.C. Hong:  Advocate for Chinese-American Inclusion.  The exhibit description states the following:

"The name Y.C. Hong (1898-1977) still elicits respect and pride among longtime residents of Los Angeles' Chinatown.  As of the first Chinese-Americans to pass the California Bar, Hong was a major figure in the Los Angeles, Chinese community during the period of the Chinese Exclusion Act and Beyond."

The Huntington acquired the Hong family papers in 2006 and this is the first opportunity for the public to view them.  The papers and information on display shows the action taken by the U.S. Government to restrict immigration of Chinese to the United States.  It also shows the work of advocates like Hong who fought for their civil liberties.  It is timely as the American people grapple with the current attitudes about immigration.   Congratulations to The Huntington on this display.

Here one photo I took of the exhibit:

Y.C. Hong, photograph, late 1910's.

We then walked over the the main art gallery in the former Huntington Mansion and found a few new items on display.  Here are my photos:

"The Slopes of Navao, Picos de Europa," 1935 by David Bomberg, British, 1890-1957, oil on canvas.  This is described as Bomberg's response to the grandeur of the landscape of northern Spain where he moved with his family in 1935.

 "The Supper at Emmans," 1841 by David Wilkie, Scottish, 1785-1841, oil on board.  This painting is one of several by the artist who painted the religious works in the biblical settings of the Holy Land.  He intended to paint the landscape in detail once he returned home from his travels.  However, he died on the return trip.

 "New York Skyscrapers," 1919 by Abraham Walkowitz, 1878-1975, brush with black ink and wash on cream wove paper.

"Shadow Boxers," 1925 by John J.A. Murphy, 1888-1967, woodcut.  The description states:  "Murphy is the master of turning figures into lapidary webs of lines and blocks.  This woodcut choreographs two boxers into a tessellate pattern."