Exhibit

Anna May Wong Abroad

woman in dress with stylized leaves and head scarf poses in front of bamboo screen.
Anna May Wong, London (1929)
Credit: George Hoyningen-Huene (1900-1968), MS Thr 484, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Drawing of woman with handwritten text: Sincerely yours, Anna May Wong
“Før vi Skilles” signed by Anna May Wong (1935)
Credit: MS Thr 1598, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Sheet music with lyrics to "Anna May Wong Song"
“Anna May Wong Song” manuscript music (around 1930)
Credit: MS Thr 2156, Houghton Library, Harvard University
woman in dress with stylized leaves and head scarf poses in front of bamboo screen. Drawing of woman with handwritten text: Sincerely yours, Anna May Wong Sheet music with lyrics to "Anna May Wong Song"

May 15, 2023 through Aug 30, 2023

Open to the public

Location

Amy Lowell Room, Floor 2
Houghton Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge, MA 02138
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During the 1920s, Anna May Wong became the first Chinese American movie star. Struggling with the constraints imposed on her life and career by anti-Asian racism in the United States, she left Hollywood for Berlin in 1928 and spent much of the next decade abroad developing her talents on the screen and stage. This exhibition explores her fruitful years abroad through photographs, sheet music, and manuscripts that Wong used in her performances across Europe.

See digital versions of the images in this exhibition and others in the Harvard Library CURIOSity collection, Anna May Wong Abroad, 1928–1936.

Anna May Wong Abroad was curated by Karintha Lowe, with graphic design by Open Rehearsal (Mary Y. Yang) and Angela Lian.

Planning to visit?

Houghton exhibitions are open to all visitors; face coverings are recommended. Please see Harvard Library's Visitor Access Page for the most up-to-date information about visiting the library.