Item Story & Historical Context
During the early 20th century, ethnographic postcards provided rare, vivid visual records of traditional daily life and customary attire across the Korean Peninsula.
The front of this card features a finely hand-tinted photographic scene entitled “Korean Mountain Elders at Leisure” (Customs of Korea series). It captures a gathering of distinguished Korean elders resting beneath a pine grove near a traditional wooden gate structure. Dressed in classical voluminous white durumagi (overcoats), flowing hanbok, and traditional black horsehair hats (gat and tanggeon), the men are depicted in authentic moments of social leisure, smoking long pipes and conversing in the shade.
The reverse presents a layered, highly evocative piece of pre-war personal communication. Dispatched as a midsummer seasonal greeting (Shochu-mimae) to a recipient in Iwaki-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, the card is densely inscribed with both deep black calligraphic brushstrokes and fine blue fountain-pen ink detailing travel notes and addresses across regional trading hubs. Bearing a blue 1.5-sen definitive stamp tied by an authentic circular date cancel alongside a red publisher/merchant cachet, this artifact preserves a fascinating intersection of colonial-era ethnographic photography and personal cross-regional postal history.
Condition & Details
- Type: Vintage Ethnographic Real-Photo Hand-Tinted Postcard / Real Postal Correspondence
- Origin/Context: Colonial Korea (Joseon Customs Series) to Fukushima Prefecture, 1930s (Early Showa Era)
- Markings:
- Front: Series and scene captions reading “Customs of Korea: Elders at Leisure in the Hills”.
- Reverse: Original blue 1.5-sen definitive stamp tied with circular date postmark; red merchant/hotel seal cachet; dense two-tone ink calligraphy and fountain-pen text; publisher imprint reading “Published by Shin-shodo”.
- Condition: Excellent authentic vintage condition. Cardstock displays natural, warm-toned age patina with gentle handling marks. The hand-tinted colors on the front remain vibrant, while all handwritten brush and pen inscriptions on the back are stark, crisp, and fully legible.
- Includes: Comes carefully packed in a protective archival sleeve with rigid backing to ensure safe transit.
Shipping & Payment
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- Fulfillment: Ships directly from Japan via Japan Post with end-to-end tracking. Every order is dispatched within 3 business days, and your tracking number will be sent directly to your email as soon as it’s on its way.
- Shipping Notice: To ensure maximum care, archival safety, and accurate weight-based insurance for each distinct historical artifact, all items are packaged and shipped individually (no combined shipping available).