Ah Toy also faced pressure from male Chinese leaders, specifically Yuen Sheng, also known as Norman As-sing, who did not like the idea of a woman leading the brothel industry in the city. Ah Toy proceeded to open a chain of new brothels in 18, importing girls from China in their teens, 20s and 30s to work in them - some were as young as eleven. Īh Toy was described as a determined and intelligent woman she frequently used the San Francisco Recorder's Court to protect herself and her business from exploitation.

Clarke, Ah Toy's brothel escaped shut-down by San Francisco authorities during a Committee of Vigilance investigation. Due to her romantic relationship with the brothel inspector James A. Afterwards, she became the most famous Chinese prostitute, and one of the highest paid and most famous in San Francisco. Her peep shows became successful, and she was known to charge an ounce of gold (sixteen dollars) for a 'lookee'. Before 1851 there were only seven Chinese women known to be in the city, and noticing the looks she drew from the men in her new town, she deduced they would pay for a more intimate setting. Ah Toy became the mistress of the ship's captain, who gave her so much gold that by the time she arrived in San Francisco, Ah Toy had a good amount of money. When Ah Toy left China for the United States, she originally traveled with her husband, who died during the travel. Arriving from Hong Kong in 1848, she became the best-known Asian woman in the American frontier.

Ah Toy ( Chinese: 亞彩 Sidney Lau: Aa 3 Coi 2 – 1 February 1928) was a Chinese American prostitute and madam in San Francisco, California during the California Gold Rush, and the first Chinese prostitute in San Francisco.

Sally Stanford by Alton Pryor