Intimate photos of the Chinese-American experience in NYC

Meet the Lams — In an attempt to better understand his own heritage, photographer Thomas Holton set out to document a single family‘s life in a nuanced portrayal of the Asian-American immigrant experience.

As the son of travel photographer George Holton, who studied under Ansel Adams, Thomas Holton grew up surrounded by images of distant lands capturing people from New Guinea to Guatemala.  

“I began to realise the magic photography has to transport the viewer elsewhere and tell new stories and share experiences,” Holton says. George Holton passed away in 1979 during his time working in the town of Lushan on the Yangtze River, while making a book about China, his wife’s native land.

Two decades later, Thomas Holton embarked on a journey of his own: an 18-year odyssey into the life of a Chinese-American family, the Lams. He first encountered the family in 2003 while pursuing his MFA at The School of Visual Arts in his hometown of New York. 

Watching Black Mirror, 2019

Drying Laundry, 2004

“I met the Lams through a local housing advocate who was gracious enough to let me tag along with weekly home visits to her clients,” Holton says. “I needed to get behind closed doors to get beyond the typical images of Chinatown.”

Shirley Lam warmly welcomed Holton into their 350-square-foot Ludlow Street apartment in Manhattan’s Lower East Side just as a new wave of gentrification began to reshape the face of the community. Holton was initially drawn to how the family of five managed within that tiny space that still had a bathtub in the kitchen, a holdover from 19th-century tenements.

But as time went on, Holton became deeply involved in the lives of Shirley and Steven, and their children Michael, Franklin, and Cindy. He frequently put down the camera to lend a helping hand, getting to know the subtle qualities of character that make his photographs all the more intimate.

Spring Break, 2014

Dinner For Seven, 2011

With The Lams of Ludlow Street, Holton’s photographs tell the story of the family over two decades, the children coming of age as the marriage fell apart, ultimately resulting in divorce.  Holton’s photographs are filled with joy and sadness, tension and peace, the unvarnished reality of life when one no longer needs to keep up appearances.  

“I no longer feel like the ‘fly on the wall’ photographer I was at the start,” says Holton. “I have travelled with the Lams to Hong Kong to visit their relatives, have driven the children to college, and Cindy was the flower girl at my wedding so now we’re family. I am like the uncle who visits a lot and always brings his camera.”

At a time when racism and violence against Asians has reasserted itself across the United States, Holton’s work celebrates the universal humanism we all share. 

“Showing the work in the heart of Chinatown, just two blocks from Ludlow Street, is very important especially now,” Holton says. “There have families who have lived in Chinatown for generations, so it is so vital for the newer residents of the area to understand this and respect and honour the lives of all those who live there.”

After swimming, 2013

The Gates, 2004

New Bronx bedroom

Bath time, 2004

Thomas Holton: The Lams of Ludlow Street is on view online at the Home Gallery.

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter

 


Latest on Huck

Smiling person in black wetsuit riding surfboard on calm ocean with rocky hills in background.
Sport

Maryam El Gardoum is breaking new shores for Morocco’s indigenous surfers

The Amazigh Atlantic — Through her groundbreaking career and popular surf school, the five-time Moroccan champion is helping women find their places in the waves.

Written by: Sam Haddad

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Colourful embroidered jackets worn by two people, with skateboarder visible in background. Bright colours and graphic designs on the clothing.
Sport

Volcom teams up with Bob Mollema for the latest in its Featured Artist Series

True to This — The boardsports lifestyle brand will host an art show in Biarritz to celebrate the Dutch illustrators’ second capsule collection.

Written by: Huck

Black and white image showing a group of shirtless men socialising, some laughing.
Culture

A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces

Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Four persons - three women and one man - posing outdoors. The women are wearing elaborate clothing and jewellery.
Culture

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco

A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A person wearing a black cap and holding a sign that says "What made me"
Music

Tony Njoku: ‘I wanted to see Black artists living my dream’

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s avant-garde electronic and classical music hybridist Tony Njoku.

Written by: Tony Njoku

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.