PBA Galleries

Two Certificates: For Leo Fon, a resident of Hope, Idaho. Signed by Ambrose W. Lyman, Collector of Internal Revenue at Helena, Montana. * For Jaw Chuny, a resident of Roberts Island, San Joaquin County, California. Signed by Deputy Collector Geo. E. Russell for Collector of Internal Revenue for the first district of California O.M. Welburn, at Stockton, California. Each certificate filled out in ink (the second with a few rubberstamps as well,), giving physical descriptions of the applicants, their occupations (both laborers), residences, etc., and with an albumen photograph portrait affixed to each certificate. Each 21x22.5 cm. (8¼x9").

Two scarce residency permits from the bygone days when the U.S. Government attempted to exclude a body of foreign nationals (in this case, Chinese) from entering the country in search of work and to join family members already here. These certificates were issued to Chinese nationals already residing in the United States when the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1892 (the so-called Geary Act, written by California Congressman Thomas J. Geary) was passed, a renewal of the act of 1882. Failure to obtain such a certificate would result in deportation.