Brighton & Hove Museums: How to look at a Dragon Robe

This lecture in the 2026 John Dinkel Memorial Lecture series is presented by historian Rachel Silberstein. It explores the history of the dragon robe, the most important regulated garment of the Qing Chinese government, and examines how the style was also worn outside that government by women, actors, deities and foreigners.

Visitors can also view the exhibition in the Prince Regent Gallery before the talk. Fire and Water: Dreaming of Dragons explores how dragons have captured the imagination in European and Asian cultures, making this a wider evening of museum learning and cultural context alongside the lecture itself.