Lillian Ho Wong with Friends , 1920
Photograph
[2008-010.3035 ]

This photograph shows Lillian Ho Wong, a Vancouver resident born in 1895, and her friend wearing Western dresses that create a classic silhouette, echoing the fashion of the Edwardian period. During this time, dresses mainly were one piece, with the bodice and skirt sewn together at the waistline. By 1909, the dramatic “S” curve of the Edwardian dresses changed to a straighter shape. The size of the full bodice became smaller, and the waistline moved upward. Like Lillian, most second-generation Chinese Canadian women adopted Western fashion in their everyday lives. Their self-fashioning choices interacted with internal desires to claim their “Canadianess” and gain acceptance into Western society. Despite their fashion consciousness, this generation lived in racial isolation and mostly socialized with their Chinese Canadian/American contemporaries.

Exhibited by:

Violet Wolfe

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