Where did this dress come from?

What is it made from?

Who might have worn it?

This red dress was made from silk, and although its style mimics the classic cheongsamdresses popularized in the 1930s in Shanghai, it was made in Japan. The golden motif featured on the dress is a chrysanthemum, a very auspicious flower in Japan and throughout Asia.

If you carefully scrutinized the ruler in the photograph (at bottom), you may have realized this dress is very small, and indeed, it was made for a child to wear. It was donated to the Karshner Center in the 1990s.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• Clothing of Early Asian Cultures
• Japanese Traditional Clothing
• 5 Styles of Traditional Chinese Dress & Clothing