This thesis is the study on designs of stamps published during the Great Chosun(1881~1897) and Great Han Empire(1897~1910) which constitute Gaehwagi(the enlightenment period of Korea). The study on the stamp designs during this period is same as a stu...
This thesis is the study on designs of stamps published during the Great Chosun(1881~1897) and Great Han Empire(1897~1910) which constitute Gaehwagi(the enlightenment period of Korea). The study on the stamp designs during this period is same as a study into Korea's first stamp designs, because this time is the introduction of the early modern postal system to the nation.
This is a first thesis to have comprehensively studied stamp designs. As such, this thesis considers to examine the prime stamp designs ( themed designs) as well as their characteristic style and meaning.
A total of 44 different kinds of stamp were published during this period, and the main designs were categorized into the Taegeukmunyang (two-comma-designed), the Ihwamunyang (plum blossom design),The Maemunyang (hawk design), and the Wanggwanmunyang or wonyugwanmunyang (crown design).
The taegeukmunyang was ultimately adopted as a design of the national flag (1883), and was established as a design which symbolized the nation. These were adopted with consistency from Korea's first stamp, the Munwi stamp (named after currency unit), to the hawk stamp, the last stamp in the Great Han Empire, allowing them to be used as characteristic emblems of Korea.
In particular, the taegeukmunyang of the 'Munwi stamp' has thus far been known as a designed taegeukmunyang, but it has actually been found the taegeukmunyang itself shown in the Chinese scholar Zhou Lianxi's book, <Taiji Tu Shou> Furthermore, it was ascertained that the taegeukmunyang appearing in Taiji Tu Shou was not only used as a stamp design, but was also used as a design before the 1900s officially governmental documents of Chosun and Great Han Empire.
However, at that time the taegeukmunyang was an essential element in all stamps, these figures differed slightly from one to another, just like the taegeuk flag did. Taegeuk stamps featured a traditional curved taegeukmunyang, while the taegeukmunyang used in ihwa stamps and hawk stamps resembled that of the national flag of today. Although The taegeukmunyang recognized as the national symbol, its instability framework was reflected itself in the stamp designs.
For the surname of the Chosun Dynasty was Lee (meaning plum blossom), The ihwa (plum blossom) design was positively introduced as an emblem of royal family of Great Han Empire since Chosun had renamed itself in 1897.
The ihwamunyang was a representative early modern design whose origin and utilization could not be found in the traditional designs. Other nations' emblems inspired the royal family of Great Han Empire, which embraced an early modern monarchic state, to make the ihwamunyang. In particular, Great Han Empire positively introduced and utilized the ihwamunyang as its royal family's emblem about 1900. It coincided with the time when the ihwamunyang was adopted as a stamp design. The ihwamunyang first appeared on stamps in 1900 - 1901; afterwards, the ihwamunyang became one of the core designs together with the taegeukmunyang.
Ihwa stamp was so called because of ihwamunyang, but there was a mugunghwamunyang (Rose of Sharon design) instead of a ihwamunyang in the original sample of it. The mugunghwa was not adopted in the officially published stamps. 13 kinds of ihwa stamps later appeared, one of them featured the mugunghwamunyang edging on the stamps rather than as a prime design just one time.
This provides evidence that the comtemporary postal service officials troubled themselves between mugunghwa as a national flower and ihwa as a symbol of the royal family for a while. Especially, stamps have served to introduce, are still, as a nation's visual image to overseas.
In Korea's history of designs, the maemunyang is extraordinary thing. The reason is that Korea's traditional bird designs are those of the crane, the Chinese phoenix, the wild goose, and the duck, all of which symbolize auspicious omens. Thus, the hawk stamp (published in 1903) designed a hawk clutching a sword and a globe in either claw is unconventional in Korea's history of designs. The stamp community regards the bird design as an eagle, but this thesis ascertained that the bird was not an eagle but a hawk, having reviewed the decoration system of Great Han Empire which was implemented prior to the publication of this stamp, as well as the influence of Japanese stamps on Korean stamps.
Also, It is noticed that the maemunyang was influenced by the comtemporary Russian ruble currency. Although the Russian ruble currency featured an eagle, a symbol of royal authority in the West, the currency features an eagle gripping a sword and a laurel crown in its talons, which was apparently a source of inspiration for maemunyang featuring a sword and a globe.
Regardless of the ideas of the Orient and the West, the visual representation symbolized by the crown is royal authority itself. In particular, in early modern monarchical state, the royal authority was regarded as omnipotent, and the royal crown emblem it was indeed a particular design in the royal family. In the early modern stamp designs of Korea, the wanggwanmunyang(wonyugwanmunyang) was also used for the special purposes of the royal family of Great Han Empire. Through Great Chosun to Great Han Empire crown designed stamp was published for the first time and lastly to celebrate of the 40th year of the reign of King Gojong in October 1902. In particular, the wonyugwan , one of Chosun's crowns, was first designed for the crown stamp. This wonyugwan designed stamp give a particular visual image of Chosun, an Oriental nation, because of subjective and original wonyugwan design, this commemorative stamp was extremely popular among Western stamp collectors.
Chosun, which was forced to open its ports to the world by Japan and the Western imperialist nations, attempted to shift from a traditional society to a radical early modern society with numerous trials and errors. Therefore the confusion of transition and the mixture of tradition and modernity was experienced in all spheres.
The stamp designs also reflected the situation at that time and obviously showed the transitional epoch. The prime designs of stamps such as the taegeukmunyang, ihwamunyang, maemunyang, and wanggwanmunyang(wonyugwanmunyang) are early modern designs, serving as a target perception through the representation of particular images. On the other hand, most of the supplementary designs in stamps consisted of auspicious traditional designs. In particular, these auspicious traditional designs greatly contributed to the decoration of the background and empty space of the stamps, including arabesque design, geometrical circle design, lotus petal design, batman design, cloud design, peony design, lattice design, and flowering plant design.