Tsuru Aoki and Anna May Wong: Clothing, Life and Death, and The Ambivalence toward the Haunting Past

Abstract

This research employs Anna Anlin Cheng’s concept of Ornamentalism to examine the costumes in three Hollywood films featuring Asian actresses: Tsuru Aoki’s The Wrath of the Gods and The Dragon Painter, as well as Anna May Wong’s Daughter of the Dragon. While Tsuru Aoki is often overshadowed by her association with Sessue Hayakawa, her contributions as an esteemed actress in early cinema deserve more focused examination. Similarly, Anna May Wong’s Daughter of the Dragon has not received the scholarly attention it warrants. This research aims to bridge these gaps by analyzing the culturally specific costumes that shape the star images of Aoki and Wong, both on and off the screen. Additionally, the study explores how costumes interact with culturally specific visual elements, narrative structures, and the female body to construct and deconstruct Asian racial identities within these films. By considering the transnational reception of these films and the sensory and material culture surrounding their production, this research reveals the ongoing dialogues and interdependencies among American and Asian women during the early 20th century as they navigated and shaped their racial and gender identities.