In 1932, Anna May Wong was photographed by Carl Van Vechten, a prominent portrait photographer known for his striking black-and-white images of artists, performers, and cultural figures during the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. These portraits of Wong are some of the most iconic ever taken of her.
In these striking photographs, Wong is depicted wearing a top hat and what appears to be a tuxedo-like jacket, presenting a sophisticated, almost androgynous, and distinctly Westernized image. This choice of attire was not accidental. By 1932, Anna May Wong, despite her international fame, was battling severe typecasting in Hollywood. She was consistently relegated to stereotypical roles as the “Dragon Lady” or the “exotic temptress,” and frustratingly, major Chinese roles were often given to white actresses in yellowface, with producers deeming Wong “too Chinese to play a Chinese.”
Her adoption of a “flapper” image and, as seen here, a more traditionally masculine, elegant Western style, was a deliberate attempt to broaden her appeal and challenge the narrow confines of her assigned roles. It was a way for her to assert her modernity and sophistication, signaling that she was more than the caricatures Hollywood presented.
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