Chinese Wok, c. 1800s
date: label: Date made
content: late 19th - early 20th
notes: label: Description
content: Many Chinese men travelled to the United States and became gold miners following the discovery of gold in California in 1849. Woks such as this one were made in China, but brought to California in the 1800s and used by Chinese immigrants. As the mass influx of travelers arrived from a variety of regions and economic backgrounds, places such as restaurants, hotels, and inns were built to accommodate and feed the growing California population. Over time, however, the majority of food in California had to be imported and became notoriously expensive. In only a few months, the cost of food tripled. Oftentimes, many miners arrived with only the clothes on their backs. With newcomers lacking many basic supplies, merchants were at a major advantage and would charge outrageously high prices for their goods.
place: label: place made
content: United States: California
topic: label: Subject
content: Chinese Americans
label: Subject
content: Food Culture
label: Subject
content: Cooking
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Ethnic
label: See more items in
content: Food
label: See more items in
content: Many Voices, One Nation
label: Exhibition
content: Many Voices, One Nation
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CL.64.1005
label: accession number
content: 253798
label: catalog number
content: 64.1005
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pan
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 3/4 in x 20 1/8 in; 45.085 cm x 51.1175 cm