Man’s Semiformal Dragon Robe, altered China, Qing dynasty, early 1800s with later alterations Silk gauze embroidered with silk tent stitch and couched metal thread Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant and Betty Grant Austin 1978.32 To see robe details (three), roll your cursor over the image and click when the arrow changes shape.

This dragon robe was altered to fit Mrs. Grant. To make a large male robe suitable for a Western female figure, the sides were taken in, darts were added, the sleeve extenders were removed, and the horse-hoof cuffs were reversed. Mrs. Grant recorded its transformation—and her subsequent regret—in her notes: “This robe, the only one of the men’s robes, has been tailored to my size which necessitated the cutting off of several inches of each side. Consequently the side mountain crags and few of the symbols have been sacrificed. It is a great pity that this was done.”


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