Object Details
user
Mead, Virginia Lee
maker
unknown
Description
The donor, Virginia Lee, posed in a similar cheong sam for a US World War II poster and for the "Miss China" contest in New York. Also known as a qu pao, the Chinese traditional loose dress shape was modified by Western designers in the 1920's to be more close-fitting to accentuate a woman's figure. The altered dress form became broadly popular in the United States as evening wear in the late 1950's and 1960's.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of James Edgar Mead and Virginia Lee Mead
date made
ca 1930
ID Number
1992.0620.16
catalog number
1992.0620.16
accession number
1992.0620
Object Name
dress
Object Type
Dress
Woman
Main Dress
Physical Description
satin (overall material)
silk (overall material)
embroidered (overall production method/technique)
Measurements
overall: 51 cm x 116 cm; 20 3/32 in x 45 21/32 in
place made
China
worn
United States: New York, Manhattan, Chinatown
Related Publication
Mead, Virginia Lee. Lee Chinese -American Family Papers, ca. 1915-1970
Related Web Publication
https://sova.si.edu/record/nmah.ac.0555
Related Publication
Mead, Virginia Lee. Photograph, Portrait of Virginia Lee in a cheongsam dress
Related Web Publication
https://sova.si.edu/record/nmah.ac.0555/ref535
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_1119978
