Through China with a camera

Creator

Date

1899

Identifier

Special Collections DS709 TF75

Type

Publisher

London: Harper & Brothers

Abstract

Legend gives credit for the discovery of silk to a Chinese empress, Leizu (Hsi-Ling-Shih, Lei-Tzu). While at first reserved for the Emperors of China, the use of silk spread to other levels of society. Because of its soft texture and lustre, it became a popular luxury fabric for clothing. One iconic item, often made of silk, is the stylish cheongsam, a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women. It was created in Shanghai in the 1920s, and eventually became fashionable world-wide. It is a safe bet that the Chinese seamstress photographed by John Thomson in his classic Through China with a camera (1899) is not mending a silk item; more a functional work-a-day cotton garment.

Files

Cab 11 Thomson.jpg

Tags

Citation

John Thomson, “Through China with a camera,” ourheritage.ac.nz | OUR Heritage, accessed March 29, 2024, https://otago.ourheritage.ac.nz/items/show/9765.