May’s Photo Studio: A Time Capsule of Interiors

In the foreground of this crowded dry goods store, Kwan You Shing leans against the counter across from a table of fresh vegetables, in front of a cabinet with imported ceramic bowls, and flanked by wrapped teas, salt and rice. Ten other members of the staff stand behind him.

The popular Shanghai Low Restaurant at 532 Grant Avenue hosted many banquets and events. It was elegantly appointed with murals of dramatic landscapes by Mok Kug Ming, a San Francisco-based artist who also created backdrops for May’s Studio and the new Cantonese opera companies.

Banquets at Shanghai Low sometimes honored dignitaries and business deals. Here, the banner on the back wall is written in Korean, “대표단련합환영", translating as “Joining Representative Welcome Party.” It and the multiethnic diners suggest an international collaboration is afoot.

This photograph shows the 1929 opening day of the Ning Que District Protective Association for people from Taishan, at 776 Commercial Street. But it was locked up long ago, leaving its interior a time capsule. The chandelier visible in the third floor still hangs there today.

The meeting room of the Ning Que District Protective Association also hosted crowded gatherings. When the building opened in 1929, its walls were packed with art including paintings, calligraphy, photography and embroidery; and amazingly almost all of it still hangs there today.

Chee Chin S. Cheung Lee was a Regionalist artist during the 1920s who exhibited at major museums in San Francisco. His Pride of Lions outrageously juxtaposes a pride of African lions with the Sierra’s Mount Whitney, perhaps intending to suggest the protective role of Ning Que.

Mock Kug Ming is best known for his painted backdrops for both May’s Photo Studio and 1920s Cantonese opera revival in San Francisco, like this one which was gifted to the Ning Que Protective Association by the Great China Theater. It depicts the famous Marble Boat in Beijing.