Object Details
maker
unknown
Description (Brief)
One of the Lee daughters wore this casual Chinese-style outfit on special occasions, for none of the children wore Chinese dress for every day wear. The trouser band or fu tau , translated as the “head of the trousers,” was folded over and secured with a belt or cord and covered by the vest.
Lee B. Lok, his wife Ng Shee, and their seven children lived above the Quong Yuen Shing & Co. store in New York City's Chinatown. Though the children wore Western clothes and participated in the local Scout troop and other clubs, their parents required them to attend Chinese school each day, from 4-7 PM.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of James Edgar Mead and Virginia Lee Mead
date made
ca 1920
ID Number
1992.0620.11
catalog number
1992.0620.11
accession number
1992.0620
Object Name
vest, girl's
Object Type
Vest
Girl
Main Dress
Physical Description
fabric (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 41 cm x 57 cm; 16 5/32 in x 22 7/16 in
overall, mounted with trousers: 38 1/2 in x 20 in x 14 in; 97.79 cm x 50.8 cm x 35.56 cm
place made
World
Related Publication
Mead, Virginia Lee. Photograph, Lee family portrait
Related Web Publication
https://sova.si.edu/record/nmah.ac.0555/ref530
Related Publication
Mead, Virginia Lee. Lee Chinese -American Family Papers, ca. 1915-1970
Related Web Publication
https://sova.si.edu/record/nmah.ac.0555
See more items in
Home and Community Life: Costume
Family & Social Life
Cultures & Communities
Clothing & Accessories
Chinese American
Data Source
National Museum of American History
referenced
Immigration
Immigrants
used
Chinese Americans
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1119964