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Evening dress

Designer Travis Banton
1934
Not on view
An evocative and glamorous example of the work of Paramount Studios costume designer Travis Banton, who, during the 1930s, also dressed Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard, and Mae West, this dress was worn by Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong. While the dress may evoke the "cheongsam", a from-fitting traditional Chinese dress style, its construction is along the lines of high-necked form-fitting Western gowns from the Belle-Epoque period, but the dragon motif adds a distinct Asian influence, dazzling in its execution in gold and silver sequins on luxurious satin. It was designed by Banton for Wong's role of Tu Tuan in the 1934 film "Limehouse Blues." Wong was a pioneer for Asian-American actors and one of the few actors in general to transition from silent to talking films.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Evening dress
  • Designer: Travis Banton (American, 1894–1958)
  • Date: 1934
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: silk
  • Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Anna May Wong, 1956
  • Object Number: 2009.300.1507
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

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Evening dress, Travis Banton, [no medium available], American
Evening dress
Travis Banton
1945–50
Evening dress, Claire McCardell American, silk, American
Evening dress
Claire McCardell
Townley Frocks
1950
Evening dress, Valentina American, silk, American
Evening dress
Valentina
ca. 1934
"Keats", Yeohlee American, silk, American
"Keats"
Yeohlee
Yeohlee Teng
spring/summer 1992
Evening dress, Oscar de la Renta, LLC. American, silk, American
Evening dress
Oscar de la Renta, LLC.
Oscar de la Renta
ca. 1982

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