Photo Essay: Korea, Way Back When

Korean women playing a board game and enjoying a smoke. 1900, photographer unknown.

A well-to-do Korean family. 1900, photographer unknown

A Rustic road in Seoul. 1904, photographer unknown

Late Chosun Dynasty general  Yun Ung-nyeol (1840-1911). He is wearing the western style uniform of the Korean Empire. The General was ignored by his colleagues for being an illegitimate son. In modern Korean historiography, General Yun has been designated as one of the Chinilpa (지일파) or pro-Japanese activists of the first decade of the 20th century. To his left is his son Yun Chi-ho, who broke with his father and became a Korean independence activist. 1903 photo by Herbert G. Ponting.

General Yun Ung-nyeol (left) at his home in Seoul playing "Go Ban". 1904

General Min Yeong-hwan (1861-1905). He was born in Seoul into the powerful Min clan and committed suicide as an act of resistance against the Eulsa Treaty imposed by Japan on Korea. He was a nephew of Empress Myeongseong. One year after Min's death, it was widely reported that a bamboo plant appeared where his bloody clothes had been laid. Many people thought the bamboo grew nurtured by Min's blood so that the bamboo was called Hyeoljuk or "Blood Bamboo". Amazingly, the number of its leaves was 45, Min's age at the time of his death. (Wikipedia)

Korean hunters. 1899, Unknown photographer shooting for the Kilburn Stereoview Company of New Hampshire.

Carrying Korean pottery to market. 1899, photographer unknown.

Workers winnowing barley in Jemulpo, which is now modern day Incheon. In 1883 the population of Jemulpo was a mere 4,700. Now it is home to 2.76 million people.

Jemulpo (Incheon) at low tide. The street divides the Japanese and Chinese settlements in the area.

Korean women known as Gisaeng (기생), similar to the Japanese Geisha, who entertained male clientel with song, dance, and varied 'services.' Gisaeng first appeared in the Goryeo Dynasty, acting as entertainers of the government to perform at various functions for the state. The most famous Gisaeng is  Hwang Jin-i, (not in photo) known for her exceptional beauty and sharp wit. Her story inspired a 2006 TV series. 1900, photographer unknown.

Gisaeng (기생) 1910, photographer unknown.

Koreans have a long history of being excellent archers --even today, taking several gold medals in the Olympics. 1903, photographer unknown.

The photo of Korean archers was later used in a 1920's cigarette advertisement.

A Korean school in 1903. Notice the three boys in the back wearing hats. That indicates that they were married. Older women would sometimes marry young boys, raising them as sons until the marriage could be consumated. 1903, Photo by Herbert G. Ponting.

Miss Peary's English Mission Orphanage for the Destitute and Blind 1903, photo by Herbert G. Ponting

A wedding in Seoul. 1900, photographer unknown.

Korean wedding with the timeless faces of bored children who would rather be out playing.

In the past, Korean women, much like today, preferred to avoid the sun. These two are carrying the modern equivalent of umbrellas. 1900, photographer unknown.

Dong Gwan-Wang-Myo, or the East Shrine of War (동관왕묘). It was built by Chinese soldiers in 1600s in honor of  a legendary 3rd century Chinese general later worshipped by both Koreans and Chinese as a God of War. China came to Korea's assistance in the Japanese-Korean War of 1592. There were three similar shrines built by the Chinese in Seoul with this being the only one that remains.

Children playing by the railroad tracks. 

Yongsan on the Han River near Seoul was at one time a logging town. The Japanese Imperial Army later made it a military base. It is now known as Yongsan Garrison, and is home to headquarters of the American military presence in Korea. 1903, photo by Herbert G. Ponting.
 

An American trolley at the west gate of Seoul in 1903. The gate, known as Don-Eui-Mun (돈의문) was built in 1392 and torn down by the Japanese in 1914, to make way for their modernization development plans. In 2009 the Korean government set aside $136 million to restore the gate. Photographer unknown.

Many of the photos were taken from the Okinawa Soba Collection. You can see these and many more historical photos from Asia amongst his amazing collection on his Flickr photo page.

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