A Study on Ordinary Costume For Woman in the Late Chosun Period-Focused on Shilhak Scholars' Viewpoints on Costumes and Costumes in genre paintings-

조선후기 여자 일상복의 변천에 관한 연구-실학자의 복식관과 풍속사를 중심으로-

  • Published : 1998.07.01

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the costumes of the period covered in the writings of Shilhak (practical science) scholars and to research the history of costumes and their characteristics by examining how they are worn in genre paintings which are said to describe the actual life of the period. This should be studied in order to correctly establish the history of costumes. To begin with, through the writings of the representative Shilhak scholars who are thought to have affected the changes in ordinary costumes for woman, this study examined how ordinary woman of the period looked in their costumes and how they regarded various costumes they had. Then, how their viewpoints of costumes influenced ordinary costumes was investigated. Not only relics, but what was commonly worn, as they appeared in the genre paintings that contain information about daily living of that period, were researched chronologically. The results of this study showed that the change in ordinary costumes for woman in the late Chosun period was affected by Shilhak scholars who had ideologies of Shilsakusi (use of positive methods in studying), Yiyonghusaeng (the promotion of commerce and industry and the development of techonologies), and Ky ngsech'iyong (pursuit of stability in a rural economy). Moreover, after those changes there were many more changes. However, the criticism of costumes of that time and the will of revolution affected some time, costumes changed directly. The forms of the costumes had been changed in a variety of ways following the tendencies of the times, but the origin of today's hanbok (Korean traditional dress) had already been fixed in the late Choson period. Yet, today's hanbok are for special occasions, not worn as ordinary clothing. Thus, there are several reasons why the hanbok is not suitable for daily life. One of the reasons is that Korean could not cope with the western costumes indepen-dently imported during Japanese occupation in the last period of the Choson Dynasty and con-tinuing the Japanese Colony. Thus, only a part of the ordinary costume of the late Choson period has remained until now.

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