Laura (Yee) Sing, c.1915

Black and white photo of a young woman sitting in a chair with her arm resting on the back of the chair.

C.D. Hoy, Laura (Yee) Sing, c.1915, P2062 Barkerville Historic Town Archives.

Mrs. Won Gar Wong, 1912

Black and white photo of an older woman standing in front of a wooden building and holding an umbrella.

C.D. Hoy, Mrs. Won Gar Wong, 1912, P1978 Barkerville Historic Town Archives.

Hoy’s works reveal a range of different approaches to dress and self-presentation in the community, as can be seen in these two portraits. Laura (Yee) Sing (left) was one of two daughters born to the Nam Sing family (and the sister of Kong Shing Sing), an early Chinese pioneer farming and ranching family in Quesnel. Shown here in Western dress, her confident pose and frank gaze into the camera suggest a certain comfort with both herself and her surroundings. In contrast, the image on the right represents the second wife of Won Gar Wong, miner and owner of the Kwong Lung Kee store in Stanley, pictured beautifully on the porch in traditional Chinese clothing.

Gallery

Laura (Yee) Sing and Mrs. Won Gar Wong - Art Canada