Robe

Item number 3390/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Gold-coloured silk robe that fastens at the front with three spaced black knot and loop closures. The sleeves have a beige cuff with embroidery at the top. The robe is edged with a dark blue border embroidered with flowers in blue and white, and scrollwork in metal thread. The entire robe is embroidered with multi-coloured flowers and containers.

History Of Use

There are two types of Qing women’s clothing, the Manchu and the Han styles. By mid to late Qing, the two styles had influenced each other and they became similar. The most significant change to fashion during the Qing Dynasty is the use of buttons. For everyday wear, affluent women would wear a side (Manchu style) or front-fastening (Han style) robe with a wrap-around Han style pleated apron skirt called Ma Mian Qun (馬面裙/马面裙).

Narrative

The donor, Mary Stimpson was born in China in 1920 and lived there with her family until 1938. Her father was a US citizen who originally worked in the import/export business. Her parents arrived in China around 1915.