Jim Nolan's Blog

Brenda Lo dresses Miss Chinatown Contestant, Honolulu 1950s

Click on photo to enlarge.

I recently posted a video essay that had a photo of a beautiful dress my mom wore to go to a party in Honolulu in the 1950s. Turns out my sister-in-law Francesca's boyfriend Cy's mother was an important dressmaker there at the same time.

Franny writes:

"Here's some back story. In the 50s, the Miss Chinatown contest was a big deal in Honolulu. Brenda, Cy's mom, made beautiful silk cheongsam (also known as qipao) dresses for the contestants. (That's the tight style you see her wearing in the photo. It originated in Shanghai, where she grew up, in the 20s.) Her husband, Wyleon Lo, was an artist. When she finished making a dress, he would paint it with all kinds of decoration.  Soon it was de rigeur for a Miss Chinatown contestant to have a dress made by Brenda Lo and painted by Wyleon Lo.

The restaurant Brenda is in is Lau Yee Chai in Honolulu, said at the time to be the most beautiful Chinese restaurant in the world. Wyleon painted the columns, outside & inside. The table she is standing on is by the bar (with mirror behind) on the 2nd floor." 

Franny continues:

"In the photo with Linda & Cy, she is standing in the courtyard of  the same restaurant. The column they are standing beside was painted by Wyleon. That occasion was the wedding of Wyleon's brother Waituck (also an artist), 1959. Cy, age 5, is wearing a Chinese outfit made by Brenda. He had wanted to wear his cowboy boots, and put them on for the actual wedding. 

The restaurant is now gone. It was at the beginning of Kuhio Avenue and the junction of Kalakaua Avenue on the spot now occupied by the Ambassador Hotel. Who knows, maybe your parents went there when they lived in Hawaii?"

Jinan, China Cabinet Card, circa 1904

A cabinet card from approximately 1904 when my great-grandfather Harry Koenig was a German naval surgeon in Tsingtau, China. The photo is pasted onto the card, instead of laminated onto it. I asked a neighbor and China expert, Professor Richard Belsky of Hunter College, where he thought it was. Rick replied:

"Very interesting. I think your photo must be of Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong. Tsingdao itself didn't have a wall, and the walls in the picture are very impressive city walls, such as one would expect from a major administrative center like a provincial capital. The wall doesn't exist anymore, most city walls in China were torn down in the years since unfortunately. It is hard to tell but it seems that the photo shows the area in the foreground flooding, and I know the Jinan moat did flood at times.  German influence was great in Jinan, there was a German concession there, and the Germans built a railroad from Tsingtao to Jinan (completed in 1904), so it makes sense that your great-grandfather would have spent time been there."

"Here are some photos of Jinan for comparison. The first two are different shots of the Jinan wall - note the water in the foreground of the first one."

 

Tombs of Wealthy Chinese No Match (Yet) for Buffalo's Buried Rich

Great article in today's New York Times about how China is trying to "Curb Fancy Tombs That Irk Poor." To a Buffaloanian familiar with Forest Lawn, the tombs featured in the article don't seem particularly grand. Here's an example: 

Sim Chi Yin for the New York Times

Compare that with Forest Lawn's Birge Memorial:

Jeffrey Smith, amorbidfascination.blogspot.com

Here's a terrific shot of the Samuel Fletcher Pratt Monument, with the Walden-Meyer Mausoleum in the background, from "Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo History Preserved" by Michaels, Reisem and Rupp.

Seth Colby

Then there's the famous Blocher Memorial:

Dave Pape

Here's the inside.

Dave Pape

According to Richard Reisem,

"the monument is constructed of granite, cut from 20 massive stones that were shaped to the circular design of the structure. The roof is a huge, 60-ton granite bell..."

The sculptures inside are meant to show the sorrow of the Blocher parents for the untimely death of their only son Nelson, who pined away for the maid they sent away, as she was beneath their station.

Whether or not Buffalonians of the time resented these extravagent monuments and memorials I can't say. 

I'm guessing the Chinese will get the hang of it soon enough.

 

Home from China

Harry and Auguste Koenig at home with their four children, years after their stay in China. Hildegard, my grandmother, stands in front of her father. Her brother Robert, second from right, was killed in WW1. 

Group Photo, China, 1905

My mother's mother's father Harry Koenig in China. The caption reads "? Tsingtao 1904/5." He was a surgeon in the German navy and stationed there with his wife Augusta. After they moved back to Germany, Harry and Augusta talked Mandarin when they didn't want anyone to understand them.

If you click on the photo it will enlarge. Harry's in the first row middle.