Clothing & Accessories - Overview
Work, play, fashion, economic class, religious faith, even politics—all these aspects of American life and more are woven into clothing. The Museum cares for one of the nation's foremost collections of men's, women's, and children's garments and accessories—from wedding gowns and military uniforms to Halloween costumes and bathing suits.
The collections include work uniforms, academic gowns, clothing of presidents and first ladies, T-shirts bearing protest slogans, and a clean-room "bunny suit" from a manufacturer of computer microchips. Beyond garments, the collections encompass jewelry, handbags, hair dryers, dress forms, hatboxes, suitcases, salesmen's samples, and thousands of fashion prints, photographs, and original illustrations. The more than 30,000 artifacts here represent the changing appearance of Americans from the 1700s to the present day.
"Clothing & Accessories - Overview" showing 11 items.
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1900 Chinese Woman’s Slippers for Bound Feet
- Description
- Mrs. Lee had bound feet her entire life. Her daughter, Grace Mok, noted in an oral history that her limited mobility and difficulty in walking required her to be accompanied wherever she went. Though these are not Ng Shee Lee’s shoes, they are similar to those she wore.
- Foot binding in China may have originated as early as 900 AD. Though outlawed by the conquering Manchus in the 17th century, the Han Chinese retained the social practice into the 20th century.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1900
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- AG*A.2937
- accession number
- 1926.93542
- catalog number
- A.2937
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1919 Chinese American Baby Bonnet
- Description (Brief)
- Mrs. Lee made this "dog head" bonnet for her only son, Peter. Chinese mothers traditionally dressed their one year old children in such bonnets to protect them from evil spirits. According to lore, if evil forces met the child they would pass by, thinking it were an animal, and of no value. Fur lines the bonnet's "dog's ears" and the padded wool of the hat lined Peter's head.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1919
- maker
- Lee Ng Shee
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.07
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.07
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1900 - 1910 Chinese American Woman's Blouse
- Description (Brief)
- In America, Mrs. Lee wore this tunic-length satin blouse with side buttons made from 1890 Hong Kong coins. The generously cut blouse or sam, often reaching the calf, was worn over trousers.
- Mrs. Lee wore traditional Chinese clothes when she occasionally accompanied her children to the local movie houses. According to her daughter Grace, since she did not understand English she made up her own storyline to accompany the films’ images.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1905
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.08
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.08
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1915 - 1925 Chinese American Girl's Trousers
- Description (Brief)
- One of the Lee daughters wore this casual Chinese-style outfit on special occasions, for none of the children wore Chinese dress for every day wear. The trouser band or fu tau , translated as the “head of the trousers,” was folded over and secured with a belt or cord and covered by the vest.
- Lee B. Lok, his wife Ng Shee, and their seven children lived above the Quong Yuen Shing & Co. store in New York City's Chinatown. Though the children wore Western clothes and participated in the local Scout troop and other clubs, their parents required them to attend Chinese school each day, from 4-7 PM.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1920
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.10
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.10
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1915 - 1925 Chinese American Girl's Vest
- Description (Brief)
- One of the Lee daughters wore this casual Chinese-style outfit on special occasions, for none of the children wore Chinese dress for every day wear. The trouser band or fu tau , translated as the “head of the trousers,” was folded over and secured with a belt or cord and covered by the vest.
- Lee B. Lok, his wife Ng Shee, and their seven children lived above the Quong Yuen Shing & Co. store in New York City's Chinatown. Though the children wore Western clothes and participated in the local Scout troop and other clubs, their parents required them to attend Chinese school each day, from 4-7 PM.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1920
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.11
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.11
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Circa 1930 Women's Gown (cheong sam)
- Description
- The donor, Virginia Lee, posed in a similar cheong sam for a US World War II poster and for the "Miss China" contest in New York. Also known as a qu pao, the Chinese traditional loose dress shape was modified by Western designers in the 1920's to be more close-fitting to accentuate a woman's figure. The altered dress form became broadly popular in the United States as evening wear in the late 1950's and 1960's.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1930
- user
- Mead, Virginia Lee
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.16
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.16
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1895 - 1905 Chinese American Woman's Skirt
- Description (Brief)
- Ng Shee (1874 - ?) had this two paneled skirt as well as trousers made in Hong Kong at the time of her marriage to Mr. Lee B. Lok in China around 1900. After the marriage Ng Shee lived with her mother in law in China until she joined Mr. Lee in New York City in 1906.
- The pleated skirt was often worn with a rectangular apron or wei chu’u over a pair of matching trousers.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1900
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.20
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.20
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1895 - 1905 Chinese American Woman's Trousers
- Description (Brief)
- Ng Shee (1874 - ?) had this two paneled skirt as well as trousers made in Hong Kong at the time of her marriage to Mr. Lee B. Lok in China around 1900. After the marriage Ng Shee lived with her mother in law in China until she joined Mr. Lee in New York City in 1906.
- The pair of matching trousers was often worn under the pleated skirt with a rectangular apron or wei chu’u.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1900
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.21
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.21
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1895 - 1900 Chinese American Man's Slippers
- Description (Brief)
- Mr. Lee only wore these slippers in his home or with his traditional Chinese clothes on special occasions. The slipper sole was thick, flat, inelastic, and shorter than the upper sole to give enough spring for walking.
- For much of his early life, the Chinese New Year was Lee’s only day of rest from the Quong Yuen Shing & Co. general store and a time when he might wear these slippers.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1896
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1992.0620.27.a-b
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.27.a-b
- accession number
- 1992.0620
- catalog number
- 1992.0620.27a-b
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1925 - 1930 Chinese American Woman's Skirt
- Description (Brief)
- Mrs. Lee ordered this skirt from China to wear on formal occasions, such as weddings. The waistband, of a different fabric, was covered by a blouse.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1930
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2000.0274.02
- accession number
- 2000.0274
- catalog number
- 2000.0274.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center