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1900 - 1910 Chinese American Woman's Blouse

Object Details

Description (Brief)
In America, Mrs. Lee wore this tunic-length satin blouse with side buttons made from 1890 Hong Kong coins. The generously cut blouse or sam, often reaching the calf, was worn over trousers.
Mrs. Lee wore traditional Chinese clothes when she occasionally accompanied her children to the local movie houses. According to her daughter Grace, since she did not understand English she made up her own storyline to accompany the films’ images.
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Museum of American History
maker
unknown
date made
ca 1905
Credit Line
Gift of James Edgar Mead and Virginia Lee Mead
Physical Description
silk (overall material)
wool (overall material)
metal (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 75 cm x 90 cm; 29 1/2 in x 35 7/16 in
Object Name
blouse, woman's
Object Type
Main Dress
Blouse
Woman

Featured In

  • Clothes and Heritage: Chinese American Clothes from the Virginia Lee Mead Collection
Woman's Satin/Silk Blouse
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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