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Picture brides arriving at Immigration Station
View of the Immigration Station Administration Building from the dock, probably in the 1920s (based on size of palm trees). Source: California State Library
 
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Picture brides came to America between 1910 and 1920, and they made up a significant amount of the Japanese immigrants during this time. Beforehand, it was mainly men who immigrated to America. However, due to stereotypes and legislation it was both viewed as wrong and illegal for a Japanese man and a white woman to marry. As a result these Japanese men looked to Japan to supply them with wives. In 1900 there were only 410 married issei women in America and by 1920 there were 22,193. The women’s arrival was key to the foundation of the Japanese presence in America. Not only did they allow the start of families but they were also the reason for the settlement of permanent communities. In 1910 there were 4,500 American born Japanese children; in 1920 the number jumped to 30,000 and by 1930 there were 68,000 American-born Japanese children. Many of the ships that these picture brides were on would dock in California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii- specifically piers in Honolulu, Seattle and San Francisco.
However the main immigration checkpoint was Angel Island. This island was an immigration center located in San Francisco’s North Bay. Angel Island was a detention barrack where new immigrants were processed and given medical examinations. According to data from the Angel Island Immigration Station, about 60,000 Japanese came through-most of them picture brides. These picture brides composed thirty-five percent of the total Japanese population in America.
The increased amount of women immigrants and Japanese families caused anti-Japanese sentiments to increase. As a result, the Japanese government stopped issuing passports to picture brides; this lead to the end of the picture bride era in March 1, 1920.
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