[KS] Question on colonial photography

[Pai hyungil]

Dear Mr. Burgeson and others to have replied to my
original inquiry,

I did not realize that there were so many angles we could
take on this subject. First , in the answer to the kisaeng
postcards that was mentioned. Yes, there was a fascination
with Korean kisaeng images and that was probably also in
part due to the Japanese fashion and artistic depiction of
"Beautiful women" (bijin paintings), They are also
prevalent when you read colonial biographies of famous
researchers in Korea. For example, Hamada Kosaku, who
excavated in Korea in 20-30's and eventually became
president of Kyoto Imperial University, writes that he
loved doing fieldwork in Korea and especially Kyungju. One
of the chief attractions besides the ruins were in his
words " The Kisaeng in Korea who were not only beautiful,
could sing and dance but in addition could sing Japanese
songs."  
There are photos of his friends and tour groups with
Kisaeng in front of Kyungju Silla tombs.
At the same time, these colonial postcards also were
printed with many scences of the modern urban city life in
the streets of Myongdong, famous sites such as Namdaemun,
Pulguksa Sokkuram, new ports and cities Like Pusan and
Inchon. Also there are many photographs that can be
considered of "customs" genre with Yangban men smoking,
country scenes, children playing, women making textiles
and street scenes. 
Such types of photographs and postcards were taken all
over in China and Manchuria during the late Taisho -early
Showa.
The Pusan City Museum , I believe about 4 years ago had a
an exhibition of these colonial postcards (there is a
catalogue) from private collectors. I have also found some
of these original postcards at the Institute of Cultural
Properties here in Ueno that was the collection of a
professor at the Institute in good preservation state.
However, they do not have the same monetary value unless ,
the person who sent it or received them was famous. Having
a postmarked with a stamp adds value like postage stamps. 
To answer the question about photos of colonial schools, I
have seen abundant classroom and school buildings in
colonial almanacs but most of them emphasize how modern
the new Japanese schools are in terms of having desks,
uniforms, blackboards and hard working students in
contrast to the images of "old style Sodang" before them.
I have not seen any teachers with swords though I have
heard these stories from elder generations. 
Thank you all for these enlightening comments and the
sources. I will look for them when I am in Seoul. 
The Proliferation of these old photos and their
republications in the last ten years go across the media
and various fields from newspapers to museums specializing
in photography to institutions tracing their historical
memories. The National Museum also sells a set of colonial
images of famous ruins in Kyungju since you can see these
sites before major reconstructions transformed them into
gaudy show cases for tourists. This phenomena can only be
good for colonial studies researchers. 

--- "J.Scott Burgeson" <jsburgeson at yahoo.com> からのメッ
セージ：
> 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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