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

Title: Gesang School (i.e. kisaeng school)

Date: ca. 1904

Place: Asia: North Korea; Pyongyang

Type: Postcards/Ephemera

Description: Korean kisaengs, or singing girls, dressed up for singing and dancing. Korean kisaeng is special women's occupation that exists for helping parties enjoyable by singing and dancing. Their social position was among the lowest in the traditional Korean class system. Their daughters also became kisaengs and their sons became slaves. The art of entertaining of the kisaeng is analogous to Japanese geisha. These professional entertainers were highly trained in the arts of poetry, music, dance, and other forms of social or artistic diversion. The picture is somewhat curious. It was taken in front of a modern, western-style brick building, with a very peculiar Korean screen as the backdrop.

Inscription/Marks: Inscription in characters imprinted on image; pencilled inscription on verso: 'Gesang School'

Identifier: 1260.74.09.02

Persistent URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1813.001/5xr9

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.