Collection: Willard Dickerman Straight and Early U.S.-Korea Diplomatic Relations, Cornell University Library

Title: Dancing girl

Date: ca. 1904

Place: Asia: South Korea

Type: Postcards/Ephemera

Description: A Korean 'kisaeng', or singing girl, dressed up for her performance. A 'kisaeng's' social position was among the lowest in the traditional Korean class system. Their daughters also became 'kisaeng' and their sons became slaves. A dancer is shown wearing a 'hwagwan' (a small crown decorated with flowers and jewels). The art of entertaining of the 'kisaeng' is analogous to the Japanese geisha. These professional entertainers were highly trained in the arts of poetry, music, dance, and other forms of social or artistic diversion. This is a photograph taken in a studio setting, produced for mass production. Source: Kwon, O-chang. Inmurhwaro ponun Choson sidae uri ot, 1998, p. 150.

Inscription/Marks: Pencilled inscription on verso of image: 'Dancing girl'

Identifier: 1260.74.12.05

Persistent URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1813.001/5xs7

There are no known U.S. copyright restrictions on this image. The digital file is owned by the Cornell University Library which is making it freely available with the request that, when possible, the Library be credited as its source.