DESIGNER UNKNOWN [PEACH BLOSSOM DREAM.] 1935. 40 1/2x30 inches, 105 1/2x76 cm. Condition B+: minor restoration along vertical and horizontal folds. Pearl Ing, born Yin Mingzhu, was China's first major female movie star. She grew up in Shanghai, where she was heavily influenced by Western culture and fashion, engaging in such activities as horseback riding and dancing. So smitten was she with Western culture that she adopted the name of one of her favorite flapper screen idols, Pearl White. She is also allegedly considered to be the first woman in China to drive a car. Her movie career began in 1921 with an appearance in "The Sea Oath," and through 1935, she appeared as leading lady in a total of sixteen different films. "Peach Blossom Dream" was her last film. The Sino-Chinese War broke out in 1937, and Pearl Ing and her family left Shanghai for Hong Kong. During the prosperous years and the economic boom of the 1930s, Shanghai, which was already the most Western of all Chinese cities, became enamored with Art Deco design. Impeccable Art Deco architecture, interior design, fashion and graphics from that era reflect the city's yearning to be as "new," "modern," and "Western" as possible. This poster, with its image bearing an unmistakable similarity to Josephine Baker, is an exceptional and rare example of the Art Deco design aesthetic, which was flourishing there.
![DESIGNER UNKNOWN. [PEACH BLOSSOM DREAM.] 1935. 40x30 inches, 105x76 cm.](https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/full//243\645243.jpg)
