Identification Paper of Lee Tso
8/19/1899
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Lee Tso was a 15 year old waiter who appeared at the "Chinese Village" exhibition at the National Export Exposition in 1899 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the "Chinese Village" was to exhibit and illustrate the architecture, dress, industries, amusements, transportation, social life, and religious worship of China for onlookers at the National Export Exposition.
"Living exhibits" like the "Chinese Village" were often part of exhibitions and fairs in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Europe and the United States. They displayed non-Western people as curiosities, helping to promote the idea of Western progress and superiority that was commonplace at the time.
Lee Tso, along with the other performers, was allowed to enter the United States under an Act of Congress approved by President William McKinley on March 1, 1899. Most other Chinese were excluded from entering the country as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and its extention in the form of the Geary Act of 1892.
This I.D. paper includes Lee Tso's name, age, height, physical description, occupation, location and length of time engaged in occupation, place of residence, signature, and photograph.
"Living exhibits" like the "Chinese Village" were often part of exhibitions and fairs in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Europe and the United States. They displayed non-Western people as curiosities, helping to promote the idea of Western progress and superiority that was commonplace at the time.
Lee Tso, along with the other performers, was allowed to enter the United States under an Act of Congress approved by President William McKinley on March 1, 1899. Most other Chinese were excluded from entering the country as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and its extention in the form of the Geary Act of 1892.
This I.D. paper includes Lee Tso's name, age, height, physical description, occupation, location and length of time engaged in occupation, place of residence, signature, and photograph.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
National Archives Identifier: 183550380
Full Citation: Identification Paper of Lee Tso; 8/19/1899; Identification Papers of Chinese Exhibitors Appearing at the National Export Exposition of 1899, 1899 - 1899; Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Record Group 85; National Archives at Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/identification-paper-lee-tso, December 6, 2024]Activities that use this document
- Contextualizing a Photograph: On Exhibit at the "Chinese Village"
Created by the National Archives Education Team - The Chinese Village Exhibit at the 1899 Export Exposition
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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