Museum Purchase.

Museum Purchase.

Museum Purchase.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Pair of Cantonese opera shoes, the leather sole shaped to simulate very small shoe, with wooden "shoe-horn" attached at heel to provide actual foot support, hidden under silk upper and attached cotton cuff. Upper: scroll design, silver sequins on white ground edged with black cord all on red ground, with scattered purple sequins. The off-white cotton cuffs each have an off-white cotton rectangle at the front with a loop attached on either side near the top on part a, and two loops at the top on part b. Balance of cuff, ecru cotton. Loops may have served to hold cord to keep cuff in place around foot. Cotton insole.

Wide, ecru three piece hoop belt (part a-c) with sequins. The rectangular pieces are curved and fit together. Part (a) has one straight end and one tabbed end. Part (b) has two straight ends. Part (c) has two tabbed ends. The fabric is fixed over a wooden centre. The blue sequins form flower motifs on an ecru ground. The lining is green with a red and orange geometric pattern.

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.

Small, rectangular, multicoloured, embroidered bag, with three edges closed, one edge left open to form a flat bag. The closed edges are trimmed with blue and white beading, and the open edge is bound with purple silk. Embroidered designs are worked in orange thread on a red ground, with small touches of purple, green, and bright pink. Embroidered designs are geometric, consisting of whorls and x-shaped figures, organized into border designs, squares and rectangles. Rows of metallic and red sequins are used to accent the shapes within the design field. The embroidery is backed with rust coloured silk or cotton textile. The two sides of the flat bag are identical in colour and style of embroidery, but differ slightly in the choice of motifs.

Green tablecloth panels (part a-b) with sequins. The front has a four-petal floral and sun motifs in gold sequins on a green ground. A red character is painted in three of the four petals. The back has floral, butterfly and sun motifs in gold sequins and yellow dye on yellow-green ground. Across the top is a wide green band for suspension. The two panels are the same.