I always find old photographs of Seoul so fascinating. So I head to Seoul Museum of History during the weekend to check out Seoul Nostalgia: A Retrospective Photographic Exhibition of Kim Hanyong.
The title itself if very fitting. Nostalgia. Whenever I came across older middle-aged people at the exhibit hall, I can't help but wonder what they are thinking while looking at those photographs.
The exhibit is divided into two themes: 'Memories of the City' and 'Portraits of Beauty'
In 'Memories of the City', Kim Han-yong's photography takes us back to the late 1950s. Kim bought his first camera, a Rolleicord and embarked on his photographic journey. Photos he took during that decade showed images of the aftermath of the Korean War. The panoramic images on display are especially impressive. Nowadays, modern cameras let you take a panoramic shot just by panning the camera from left to right. But during the 50s, creating panoramic photographs took meticulous efforts to piece together at least 6 pictures or in some cases more than 30 different pictures. There are also aerial shots of old Seoul and photos that display the transformation and rapid growth of the city from 1950s to 1970s.
The adjacent hall is called 'Portraits of Beauty'. Kim Han-yong is an absolute figure in the domestic advertising photographic community. A fair portion of the products that flooded the markets in the industrialization period in the 1960s and 70s – ranging from home appliances, cosmetics to cars – were promoted in gorgeous ads created by his talents. Ad posters featuring movie stars of that time well represent the desire of Korean society when the era of consumption had just begun.
They couldn't have picked a better venue for this exhibit. Aside from this special exhibit, the Seoul Museum of History, presents the history and culture of Seoul from the Joseon Dynasty to the present day.
Outside, there is also an outdoor exhibit.
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| STREETCAR NO.381 This electric streetcar was in operation in downtown Seoul for about 38 years, from around 1930 until November 1968. It was on May 1899, during the third year of the Great Han Empire, when electric streetcars first went into operation in Seoul. Electric streetcars served as an important means of transportation for the citizens on Seoul until the early 1960s. Their competitiveness suffered badly, however, with the advent of alternate means of transport, such as buses and cars. As a result, the Seoul City Government ended streetcar operation in downtown Seoul in November 1968. In addition to streetcar no. 363, displayed at the Seoul National Science Museum, this is the only other remaining electric streetcar in Seoul today. It was relocated from Children’s Grand Park to the Seoul Museum of History in January 2008 when it underwent preservation and restoration treatment before being put on display. |
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| Inside Street Car No. 381 |
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| STONE CIVIL OFFICIAL FIGURES These civil official figures (문인석; muninseok) were brought from the graveyard of Yi Jun-yong, the grandson of the Prince Regent Heungseon. Such statues of scholar officials guarding graveyards were usually arranged on either side in front of the tomb mound. These stone scholars wear official attires with head pieces (복두; bokdu) and are holding staffs (홀; hol). Civil officials wore official uniform for audiences with the king and on holidays such as winter solstice and Lunar New Year’s Day. The head piece called bokdu is a two-tiered official hat, while the hol is a staff made of ivory or wood that officials held when in the king’s presence. |
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| CONCRETE REMAINS OF GWANGHWAMUN As the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun underwent a series of destructions and reconstructions after it was built in 1395. The Gwanghwamun Gate was completely destroyed in 1592 when Japan invaded the Joseon Dynasty. It was rebuilt in the second year of King Gojong’s reign (1866) along with the rest of the palace. The main gate, however, was moved to where the National Folk Museum of Korea is located today, north of the Geonchunmun Gate, during the Japanese colonial period, paving the way for the construction of the Japanese General Government Building. The Korean War destroyed the gate’s two-story pavilion in 1950. In 1968, the Park administration rebuilt Gwanghwamun. Although it was made of concrete and steel, Gwanghwamun was not a monolithic structure. Each construction member was made of concrete and then jointed with one another to make Gwanghwamun, following the jointing methods of wooden architecture. Gwanghwamun was disassembled from 2006 to 2007, and some of the construction members are displayed here. |
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| PARTS OF REMAINS OF THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT GENERAL BUILDING |
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| BELL PAVILLION BASE STONES Some of the base stones of the Bell Pavilion which stood at the Jongno intersection. Unearthed during subway construction in 1972, and presumed to date back to the early Joseon period, the stones were moved to the present site from Gyeongbok Palace, where they had been stored since their discovery. The bell pavilion was built in 1413 and burned down during the Japanese invasion of 1592, and subsequently rebuilt on a smaller scale. The bell in the pavilion tolled to signal the start and the end of curfew within the 4 gates of Hanyang (old name of Seoul). The start of the curfew, also known as Injeong, was signalled around 10pm with 28 tolls, and the end of the curfew or Paru, around 4am, with 33 rings. |
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