• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Costume Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.108-108
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• 2001

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2004

Not much is known about Korean clothes from past centuries. Fortunately, we are able to make some inferences based on various sources of data other than the actual clothes themselves. Historical records such as Kim Hong-do's Pungsokhwa Pieces, well known to us, vividly depict features of the costume and the lifestyle of his time along with contemporary Korean humor and atmosphere. Kim Hong-do is the artist who, having accomplished pictorial refinement, recognized social change and took this into his artistic world late in the 18th century. The ruling classes, in contrast, tended to adhere to anachronistic medieval philosophies in a gradually changing society. In this study, Kim Hong-do's Pungsokhwachop, Treasure No. 527, preserved in the National Museum of Korea, was viewed from a new perspective, and it was discovered to have assorted the costume and culture of ordinary people according to their life styles. Fourteen of the pieces depicted how common citizens made their living, three described love affairs, five depicted people at play, md the rest showed elements of education, wedding ceremonies, and shamanism, respectively. Various types of clothing were observed reflecting the life styles of ordinary people, and a somewhat bold exposure of body was noticed in women's fashion in the late Chosun Dynasty. They chose clothing as they pleased to fit their jobs and functions, which produced elegant self-regulation and creativity based on practical beauty. A hat - yet to be found as a relic - appeared in Blacksmith's Workshop, and revealed the changing social customs of the late Chosun Dynasty in the 18th century. It is hoped that the results of this study will serve as a valuable reference point for the globalization of Korean clothes.