Marcella Dear collection

Collection

Identifier: 2006.003-2006.004-2010.007-2011.023

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The materials in this collection mainly consist of household items from the Chin family's apartment on Mulberry Street and business items from the Chin family's businesses (the majority of the latter items are from the Rice Bowl Restaurant and Kwong Chong and Co.). The household materials include kitchen items, artwork, clothing, sewing materials, record albums, medicinal objects, and books. The business materials include account books, furniture, and signage. The majority of the items are from the 1920s-1960s, although there are some books from the late 19th century and some newspaper clippings from the early 2000s. Objects are also searchable via PastPerfect Online System at http://mocanyc.pastperfectonline.com/randomimages.

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found in 1920s-1990s

Language of Materials

Some materials are in Chinese.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is unrestricted.

Conditions Governing Use

For reference use only; not for reproduction, distribution, or deposit in another collection. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Director of Collections. If publishing, cite: Marcella Dear Collection, Museum of Chinese in America.

Biographical / Historical

Marcella Dear (her married name) is a member of the Chin family, and she was raised in New York's Chinatown. Five generations of the Chin family have lived in Chinatown since Marcella's grandfather first arrived in the late 1800s. Her grandfather worked as a laundryman but returned to Hong Kong after sending for his son, Chin Suey Bing. Suey Bing became a successful businessman and community leader in Chinatown; his businesses were mostly located on Mott Street and included a hardware store, an import-export company, a liquor store, and a restaurant, the Rice Bowl. The Rice Bowl was one of the fanciest restaurants during its operation, from 1939-1970. Suey Bing married Tsui Chun Guey in China, and in 1945, they moved to an apartment on Mulberry Street. The items in this collection come from that apartment and the various Chin family businesses. The objects were mostly collected by Marecella's father, Suey Bing, and donated to the museum after his death. The materials reflect both Chinese and American cultures.

Extent

150 Linear Feet (104 archival boxes and 25 oversize objects) : 150 linear feet of books; clothing and textiles; magazines and journals; objects; paper documents; photographs; and record albums. The oversize objects include framed and unframed artwork, outdoor signs, a stool, and stringed instruments.

Additional Description

Arrangement

Arranged into 2 series: [1] Business material and [2] Personal material

General

This finding aid was created with grant support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Processing Information

Since many of the materials were processed before the creation of the finding aid, they were kept in that original order, which included consecutive individual accession numbers. The series arrangement, then, is reflected conceptually in the finding aid but not necessarily physically within each box. For a list of all items, please see the box list under External Documents.