C.D. Hoy, Laura (Yee) Sing, c.1915

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.