Exhibition Label

Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American actress to become a major box-office attraction. After scoring a success as the exotic Mongol slave in The Thief of Bagdad (1924), Wong was immediately pegged as Hollywood’s "oriental siren." Relegated to minor parts in a series of movies featuring unsympathetic portrayals of Asian characters, she left Hollywood for Europe in 1928, where she received leading film and stage roles. She returned to the United States in 1930 to star in the Broadway play On the Spot. Although Wong appeared regularly on screen throughout the 1930s, the U.S. film industry never gave her the opportunity to move beyond stereotypical roles. As a consequence, Wong often found herself in the unenviable position of performing in films that perpetuated racial stereotypes or not working at all.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Restrictions & Rights

© Nickolas Muray Photo Archives

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

1937

Object number

NPG.99.45

Culture

Anna May Wong: American\Asian American\Chinese American

Artist

Nickolas Muray, 15 Feb 1892 - 2 Nov 1965

Sitter

Anna May Wong, 3 Jan 1905 - 3 Feb 1961

Topic

Costume\Jewelry\Earring

Indeterminable

Costume\Dress Accessory\Fan

Anna May Wong: Female

Anna May Wong: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie

Portrait

Medium

Color carbro print

Dimensions

Image: 39 x 31.1cm (15 3/8 x 12 1/4")

Sheet: 43.9 x 34.6cm (17 5/16 x 13 5/8")

Mount: 50.6 x 38.2cm (19 15/16 x 15 1/16")

Mat: 71.1 x 55.9cm (28 x 22")

National Portrait Gallery

Type

Photograph