Cantonese Opera Dress Item Number: Edz1780 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Long pink (Cheongsam) dress with green gelatin sequins. The dress has a standing collar, side slits and a side opening with metal snap fasteners. The front and back have large floral and leaf motifs. The inside lining is white cotton.
History Of Use
Mass-produced gelatin sequins replaced the heavy mirrors and metal discs used for Cantonese Opera costume design in the 1930s, and were themselves replaced by plastic in the 1950s. These sequins were made from sheets of gelatin rolled through a metal press but were also fragile as the gelatin would disintegrate upon contact with moisture. The reflective sequins carried the cosmopolitan feel of the evolving urban fashions while fulfilling the same apotropaic functions as mirrored discs.
Item History
- Made in China during 1930
- Owned by Jin Wah Sing Musical Association before September 24, 1991
- Received from Jin Wah Sing Musical Association (Donor) on September 24, 1991
What
- Name
- Cantonese Opera Dress
- Identification Number
- Edz1780
- Type of Item
- dress
- Material
- silk fibre, cotton fibre and gelatin
- Overall
- height 144.0 cm, width 84.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Chinese
- Previous Owner
- Jin Wah Sing Musical Association
- Received from
- Jin Wah Sing Musical Association (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- China
When
- Creation Date
- during 1930
- Ownership Date
- before September 24, 1991
- Acquisition Date
- on September 24, 1991
Other
- Item Classes
- textiles
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 1488/0153