[KS] Question on colonial photography

[J.Scott Burgeson]

Once Japan had formally annexed Korea, there was a
virtual explosion and proliferation of photographic
postcards of Korean gisaeng in various alluring poses
(not nude, however). They seem to have been taken
mostly by Japanese photographers and often had
Japanese-language descriptions or captions on them, so
their primary market was probably Japanese consumers.
As mentioned below, many of them were often colored or
painted...
   --Scott Bug 



--- Pai hyungil <hyungpai at yahoo.co.jp> wrote:
> Dear Mr. Burgeson and members,
> I have also seen such photos taken by Western
> commercial
> photographers who resided in the foreign port cities
> in
> Japan. They were taken in Bakumatsu period and they
> were
> included in a catalogue from the Peabody Museum at
> Harvard
> University in the mid 1980's.
> I did go to see this exhibition when I was a student
> but
> thought they were considered "artistic" photos but
> not
> pornorgraphic. Young women are usually showed in
> various
> states of undress either lounging around or in front
> of
> the cosmetic mirror. I believe at this period it is 
> probably a fine-line between art and pornography. 
> But I agree with you there must have been a market
> for
> these images because it is obvious they were
> carefully
> staged and some are even colored at commercial photo
> studios. The fact that the Peabody Museum at Salem
> and
> Harvard own the collections now is indication that
> they
> were acquired during part of the international
> import/export trading network with the port of
> Boston port
> and the Far East.
>  When I get back to the U.S.  I will look at this
> catalogue again but I do not believe there was
> anything in
> the text by the authors about women's bodies and
> colonial
> desire or gaze. I guess this exhibition happened
> before
> the proliferation of cultural studies perspectives. 



	
		
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