19th century Han Women's Outfit | Chinese Fashion | Curator's Corner S8 Ep5

Jessica Harrison-Hall unpicks all the details of a 140-year-old Han woman’s outfit to give voice to the hidden women in 19th Century Chinese society, and uncover looming modernization in the East Coast Treaty ports of Shanghai, Ningbo and Guangzhou.
CONTENT WARNING: Contains high levels of embroidery nerdery with strong references to couch stitching
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:33 Outfit overview
01:08 Who would have worn this?
01:52 Outfit details
03:52 Combining homemade and bought embroidery
04:43 How embroidery is applied
06:04 Pattern books & foreign fashion
07:36 Back of the garment
08:36 Women in 19th-C China
10:28 Thank you for listening
China’s Hidden Century
Lead supporter Citi
Additional supporter The Huo Family Foundation
#curatorscorner #china #fashion

[@yesfinallygot1]

I'm American with Chinese heritage and this is my favorite Museum channel. So of course I'm giving a thumbs up and watching all the way through. Keep up the great work!

[@GodWearsGucci]

Stunning! Textiles fascinate me. My friends tease me because I’m pretty attuned to all different textiles when we go out. I could never fully appreciate this intricate robe on my own. Having Ms. Jessica Harrison-Hall explain everything made this garment so very interesting and even more attractive. The details are everything! TY

[@katiegriffin9354]

The curator presented wonderfully, my attention was kept throughout the video! I will try to visit the exhibit

[@skcheng6882]

Thank you for the detailed introduction. Really look forward to seeing the dress in person now.

[@alocino96]

that's an impressive outfit, thanks for presenting it to us

[@ginalou5774]

What a beautiful garment. How fascinating to investigate this gorgeous piece

[@jimmyzbike]

What an amazing garment. Omg the labor involved in making it.

[@maryckeady]

Fantastic! What a fascinating explanation 😀

[@merlapittman5034]

That is an amazing garment! I'd be scared to death to wear something even close to that ornate and beautiful for fear of damaging it. Thank you for this very interesting video!

[@juliancoulden1753]

Wonderful. Thank you

[@avinas1214]

im curious: were those auspicious blue patterns in the silk, on the backside, meant to be stamped embroidery that did not get embroidered ?

[@ClaireScaramanga]

Very interesting Jessica! Claire Scaramanga

[@nancyM1313]

❤🕊

[@manateerules]

🤩🤩🤩

[@thomasb6573]

Wonderful video with a minor historical inaccuracy. The Qing Dynasty originated in the 17th c, not the 19th.

[@vanaals]

Curious about the stand up collar. It doesn’t appear to be attached to the over layer. Is it? It seems, rather, to match the under skirt. It would have been interesting to have seen what else was worn under the outer piece.

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

That would be interesting!

[@queefelizabeth4497]

The question is this looted artifact?

[@vanaals]

@@queefelizabeth4497 Maybe? Then again, it's as likely handed down, through the family, then donated/sold to the museum when the family decided they couldn't keep it safe any longer.

[@queefelizabeth4497]

@@vanaals They should disclose the origination because 90% of items in the British Museum are looted.

[@xiaoyedu6168]

You’re right about the collar matching the skirt. Just makes this a cohesive outfit. The stand up collars usually are stitched to the outer layer from the inside so the stitches are not seen out side. It is a part of the outer garment, doesn’t really have anything to do with what’s worn inside. Although undergarment is a very interesting topic!

[@vedantsriram3746]

Hey British Museum, I am a huge fan of guys! While you guys research about History and it's Cultures I research about the History of British Museum! As a fan of yours, I have a request, please make a lot more videos on Japan and India, i would love to watch those!

[@SiiriCressey]

"At a time when most women couldn't work......" Including peasant women?

[@Ki_Thi]

I also dislike the discours where ‘women didn’t work in the past’. Almost all women worked: farmers, housekeepers, food and catering businesses, fashion, shopkeepers… only wealthy women didn’t work. And in the prosperous 20th century more women were ‘kept’ as it was a sign of social standing to not work as a woman. But almost all women always worked!

[@SiiriCressey]

@@Ki_Thi Yup. But it seems history is written, not just by the winners, but also by those with power + money.

[@chaselee86]

Or a better description would be, they work but get little or no payment.

[@pablolarraguibel]

Devuelvan el Moái 🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱

[@user-ot6dm4ho4l]

British Museum, aren't you ashamed? How many things are yours in the museum?

[@lastilnovista]

hey why did you take down the livestream from your other channel? all i did was ask one (1) simple question . . . very interesting choice to nuke the whole video rather than stand up for your exhibit and your “curators” work! feels almost like an admission of guilt . . .

[@michaeldarby3503]

Is it just me or does the embroidery look like chinese ceramics?

[@justjane2070]

The blue panels have touches of willow pattern ceramics.

[@lenabreijer1311]

Of course. All the arts used the same symbolism.

[@ZGADOW]

Incredible deductive reasoning skills Sherlock.

[@chaselee86]

Yes, you can find similar patterns like "ruyi" on chinese ceramics too.

[@lenabreijer1311]

@@chaselee86 yes. It is not the medium that is important, it is the message of the symbols.

[@miarojas9087]

Devuelvan el moai

[@jforozco12]

Nice, the museum of thieves showing off the things they stole

[@Aus200]

Just like China stealing all their technology from other countries.

[@jakobraahauge7299]

am I the only only one thinking that the repetitive descriptions and lack of actual content in the analysis is a unfortunate waiste of the vast knowledge of this lady? The dress is amazing - shouldn't be too hard not to make this incredibly lacking of other things than the blindingly obvious?

[@galiaguevaragarcia2990]

Y TODAS LAS PIEZAS ROBADAS

[@juandiegobocanegracruz3116]

Otro robo !?

[@minhdo3482]

This museum should b called " stuff the British stole"

[@fearoffancy5743]

This was literally not stolen and the artefacts that were actually stolen are in the process of being returned.

[@renansilva8057]

who stole from?

[@eh1702]

It’s a DRESS. China was a MARKET ECONOMY in the 19th century.

[@scottmcfarlane7524]

Return it!

[@johnhoward7069]

Get buggered

[@joshuarosen6242]

Suck it up. It's ours.

[@chaselee86]

Return to who? Did you know that Chinese communist party has destroyed millions of artefacts during the so-called Cultural Revolution? If they stayed in China, there is a 95% chance that it would be damaged during the 20th century. I'm a Chinese and I appreciate British Museum for keeping the culture and does thorough research and display it to the public for free.

[@a1sauce775]

@@joshuarosen6242 dont worry we'll take it all back eventually and then some.

[@Weesperbuurt]

Was it stolen?

[@thejames2211]

no

[@chaselee86]

Most likely it was bought by someone and then donated to the museum. Unless you has proof that it was owned by someone and it got stolen, you are just talking BS.

[@Aus200]

China steals everything, so who cares!

[@eskimocommotion4965]

Cultural appropriation! Give it back! Jk. Its beautiful

[@DaveWhitcroftKDMusic]

Kim ‘ono they won’t!

[@eskimocommotion4965]

I was jk.

[@DaveWhitcroftKDMusic]

@@eskimocommotion4965 me too 😉

[@chaselee86]

Give me a break. There is Disney in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Is that cultural appropriation?

[@eskimocommotion4965]

@@chaselee86 calm down. I was kidding. People need to relax. Not everything is mine or yours. Many people enjoy most but no one enjoys everything.

[@moraleshutauruk984]

Stolen thief