<p>Ruth Harkness bottle feeding Su-Lin at the Palace Hotel, 1936<br /> Shanghai<br /> Courtesy of Mary Lobisco</p>

Ruth Harkness bottle feeding Su-Lin at the Palace Hotel, 1936
Shanghai
Courtesy of Mary Lobisco

<p>“How Ruth Harkness caught Su-Lin” Quaker Oats advertisement, 1937<br /> Courtesy of Mary Lobisco</p>

“How Ruth Harkness caught Su-Lin” Quaker Oats advertisement, 1937
Courtesy of Mary Lobisco

<p>Quentin Young and Ruth Harkness with Mei Mei, 1938<br /> Hong Kong S.A.R.<br /> Courtesy of Quentin Young, Jack T. Young and Adelaide “Su-Lin” Young Archives</p>

Quentin Young and Ruth Harkness with Mei Mei, 1938
Hong Kong S.A.R.
Courtesy of Quentin Young, Jack T. Young and Adelaide “Su-Lin” Young Archives

New York socialite and fashion designer Ruth Harkness brought the first live pandas to the United States. She, along with her expedition leader Quentin Young (Yang Dilin) – the younger brother of Jack Young – captured a cub in 1936. Harkness gave the panda, which she named Su-Lin, to the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois in 1937. The next year, Harkness’ second captured cub, Mei Mei, joined Su-Lin.

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