The US National Archives holds a treasure trove of immigration case files from during the Chinese Exclusion era, among them a file for the Los Angeles-born actress Anna May Wong (Wong Liu Tsong), considered the first Chinese American Hollywood actress. In 1924, Wong (a US citizen) sought to leave the US to film in Canada, and was required to apply for permission (Application of Alleged American Citizen of the Chinese Race for Preinvestigation of Status), be interviewed, and provide a signed and sworn statement from a white witness (the doctor attending at her birth) to prove her identity and status.
This portrait oil painting of Wong is based on the headshot attached to the application, in which she is elegantly dressed, complete with pearls. In my mind, her expression is complex—amused, ironic, direct, questioning—as it should be, for a birthright citizen to be subjected to such bureaucratic racism.
"alleged American citizen of the Chinese race" (Anna May Wong, 1924), 2025
30” x 30”, oil on ramie fabric
The US National Archives holds a treasure trove of immigration case files from during the Chinese Exclusion era, among them a file for the Los Angeles-born actress Anna May Wong (Wong Liu Tsong), considered the first Chinese American Hollywood actress. In 1924, Wong (a US citizen) sought to leave the US to film in Canada, and was required to apply for permission (Application of Alleged American Citizen of the Chinese Race for Preinvestigation of Status), be interviewed, and provide a signed and sworn statement from a white witness (the doctor attending at her birth) to prove her identity and status.
This portrait oil painting of Wong is based on the headshot attached to the application, in which she is elegantly dressed, complete with pearls. In my mind, her expression is complex—amused, ironic, direct, questioning—as it should be, for a birthright citizen to be subjected to such bureaucratic racism.
"alleged American citizen of the Chinese race" (Anna May Wong, 1924), 2025
30” x 30”, oil on ramie fabric
