Made in 1929, this portrait captures Anna May Wong (黃柳霜, Wong Liu Tsong) when she was reshaping her career in the U.K., seeking roles (like the London-set film Piccadilly) beyond Hollywood’s narrow stereotypes. British photographer Dorothy Wilding’s studio image was delicately painted over by Beatrice Johnson that turns a publicity photo into something closer to a painting. The young Chinese American woman sits composed and self-possessed. Her skin is light with warm undertones as a soft blush warms her cheeks and nose. Dark, neatly shaped brows frame half-lidded eyes that glance sideways. Her hair is cut into a glossy black bob with blunt bangs that arc across her forehead. She wears vivid red lipstick with a crisp cupid’s bow, and the same lacquer red appears on her fingernails. A pale yellow lightly-wrinkled dress shows under a shimmering robe patterned with painterly blossoms and leaves in pinks, greens, and whites, edged by lilac and pearl tones. It gathers in soft folds, catching the light with a satin sheen. Her arms fold gently across her lap. Behind her, a misty cream background shifts into mauve and lavender, where her silhouette becomes a large, diffuse shadow. Her lacquer-red lips and nails, the sharp fringe, and the silk wrap echo Art Deco modernity, while Wong’s averted gaze resists easy consumption as she is presented not as an “exotic” type, but as a thinking, autonomous star. In her autobiography In Pursuit of Perfection (1958), Wilding recalled photographing Anna May Wong at her studio at 22 Old Bond Street. “Anna May Wong ... had the first long red fingernails I had ever seen. When I lifted her hands to 'drape' them', they were so fragile that one felt one was holding the most delicate snowdrops. She was the softest and gentlest creature one can imagine.” Among Wilding's team, she employed artist Beatrice Johnson to paint backdrops and produce painted color versions of portraits to blend the boundary between camera image and painted art.
“Anna May Wong” by Dorothy Wilding (British) - Hand-colored bromide print (by Beatrice Johnson) / 1929 - National Portrait Gallery (London, England) #WomenInArt #DorothyWilding #BeatriceJohnson #NPG #NationalPortraitGallery #art #artText #BlueskyArt #OldHollywood #AnnaMayWong #WomenPaintingWomen
