Through the eyes of Elizabeth Keith, a master woodblock artist who loved Korea
A Look into 'Old Korea' 100 Years Ago
A 'complete restoration edition' of 85 of Kiss's Korean paintings
A chance to own the restored original edition of the classic 『Old Korea』!

The book "Old Korea," illustrated by world-renowned artist Elizabeth Keith and written primarily by her sister Elspet Keith, captures the daily lives and customs of Koreans in the early 20th century with greater sensitivity and honesty than anyone else.
In particular, the time they first visited Korea was right after the March 1st Movement in 1919, and it fully captures the passionate hearts of Koreans who rose up and cheered despite being persecuted by the Japanese.
Additionally, her sensibility as a woman is well expressed in the painting and its commentary.

This 'completely restored edition' is a monumental book that not only completely translates 『Old Korea』, but also compiles all of Keith's Korean paintings and research results that translator Song Young-dal, a collector and researcher of Elizabeth Keith's work, has unearthed over the past thirty years.
85 of Kiss's Korean paintings were digitized in ultra-high resolution and printed on catalog paper to ensure they were as close to the originals as possible.
The cloth-covered binding further enhances the book's quality.

In addition, a separate ‘original restoration edition’ was produced.
This book is literally a restoration of the original 『Old Korea』, and the unique antique feel of the original adds to its collection value.

This is a place where only men and rats come and go, and it is not a high-class restaurant, but a place where day laborers come to eat.
The smell of delicious food wafts out.
In the pot, soup with hot peppers or other seasonings is bubbling.
The man seen inside the window is kneading a large dough and putting dates into it.
Inside the tavern, copper and brass vessels used to prepare and serve food gleam.

The tavern was a very popular place for country folk who walked long distances or carried heavy loads on cold winter days.
A rich noodle broth is slowly simmering in a pot.
The noodles are thin and long, and Koreans eat them quickly, much like Italians eat macaroni.
The jars on the shelf contain various kinds of pickled foods, and rice is boiling in a large pot.
Many people prefer Korean rice because it is better than Japanese or Chinese rice.
The tavern's kitchen also has dried fish, peeled pears, and the famous kimchi.

Koreans serve their food in pretty brass bowls and eat it with brass spoons.
Chopsticks are also used.
When eating at home, it is rude to hold the bowl in your hand, but when eating at a restaurant, it is a bit more relaxed.
Maybe it's because women rarely eat out and only men eat at taverns.

The floor of the inn is made of very well-packed mud, and rats run around freely.
Also, flies constantly cling to food.
One thing that is different between Korean men and Parisians is that after a meal, Korean men usually sleep for a while, either in their rooms or on the street, but unfortunately, Parisians cannot do that.

There was another shabby inn similar to this one, and over its door was written:
“The best house for looking at the moon.”
--- p.42, from “The Inn”

Korean stores these days are not very interesting.
This is because almost all the shops are occupied by Japanese people and are usually located in the city center and decorated in a modern style.
However, the hat shop, mat shop, and brassware shop still remain in their Korean style.
Here I drew the most organized mat store I've ever seen.

The door was painted green, and a mat was rolled up in front of the store.
Korean mats have many different colors and patterns, and are laid out on floorboards in every home.
In Korea, at night, people take out the mattress, spread it out, and sleep on it, and in the morning, they open it and put it away.
The material hanging on the window is used to make straw sandals or mats.
Flat baskets are used to store grains, peppers, beans, etc., and red wooden baskets are used to carry laundry.
The woman carrying a child in the foreground of the painting is on her way to do the family's laundry.


The wooden clogs that the shoemaker just brought are still shiny and free of dust.
You can also see a pretty brass tray, used to hold rice cakes and other food, and always used at weddings.
Brass is very commonly used.
Rice and soup are often served in brass bowls.
The colorful fans have the Taegeuk pattern, which symbolizes Korea, attached to them.
Inside the store, the owner and a customer in white are talking.
--- p.56, from “Mat Shop”

The most tragic thing in Korea! On her wedding day, a Korean bride sits motionless, unable to see or eat.
It is said that in the past, people would stick Korean paper on their eyes.
The bride's family carries her in and seats her on the wedding day because her feet must not touch the ground.
Her face was painted white and red dots were placed on both sides of her cheeks and forehead.
I also put some lipstick on my lips.
A feast is held, and everyone enjoys eating delicious food, but the bride must never eat any of the delicious food placed on the large table before her.
Sometimes you can put fruit juice in your mouth, but you have to be careful not to smudge your lip balm.
All day long, the bride must sit in the bedroom, eyes closed, like a shadow, silently enduring all the compliments and comments.

The bride's mother is also too busy entertaining guests to enjoy the banquet food.
Meanwhile, the groom spends the whole day eating, drinking and playing happily with his friends in another annex.
In conservative families, it is considered shameful for a woman to not get married by the age of twenty.
Except in very special cases, it is considered shameful for a widow to remarry.
But recently, such prejudices and old customs are gradually changing.

Among the priests who have received modern education, there are some who reject such old-fashioned customs.
A modern woman, educated and fluent in English, married into an old-fashioned family, but the man, proud and stubborn, refused to follow the custom that women must wait while other families ate.
The father-in-law tried to break his daughter-in-law's stubbornness, but was unsuccessful.
When the child who had been her only comfort died, the woman defied old customs and left her in-laws.
New trends are gradually replacing outdated customs, and these days, young men are embracing new customs just as much as women.
--- p.114, from "The Bride"

Of the Pyongyang fortress walls built in 1392, only the eastern gate remains.
Although not as grand as Dongdaemun in Seoul, Pyongyang's Dongmun has a simple style and a subtle elegance that reflects its age.
Andre Eckardt commented on Korean architecture:
“Korea imported its architectural methods from China, but developed them into a simpler, more elegant, and more restrained form to suit the Korean context, creating a uniquely Korean architectural culture.” Pyongyang’s Dongmun Gate exemplifies the very essence of Korean architecture.

This painting shows a snow-covered, quiet and lonely winter gate, but the actual sketch was by no means idle.
The place where the gate is located is a path leading to the river, so in the summer there is a constant line of women going to do their laundry.
The moment I set up my canvas to paint, people came rushing in like clouds from nowhere.
Usually they were children or older men.
So sometimes my older sister Jessie would draw a line on the ground and threaten us not to go any further than that.
“Don’t come any closer.
When we shouted, “Hey, get back!” people would mimic our tone and follow suit.
We had no choice but to look at each other and smile.
There were so many people crowding around that I sometimes gave up and went home, only to return at dawn to paint again, but somehow people kept coming.
There was virtually no way for a Western traveler to travel in the East without being noticed.
--- p.150, from “Pyongyang’s East Gate”

The ingenious idea of ​​attaching an umbrella to a hat is probably something only Koreans would come up with.
On rainy days, with an umbrella and hat on, both hands are free, so you can sit without worry and think about this and that, think about what to eat next, and savor nature!

One day, I saw this old man leaning against the wall in front of his house with a solemn expression on his face, and I got the idea to sketch him.
As a courtesy, I offered to pay him one won if he would model for me.
Although he was modeling, the inspiration was that he could just sit there like he usually did.
But this inspiration suddenly felt like he was important, and he couldn't sit still, moving his head around.
Then he kept moving and complaining, asking the interpreter how much longer he would have to sit, and giving him one won while complaining that the painting would cost much more abroad.
He even said that the Western artist would be able to get a painting of himself for as much as 100 won in the United States.
I'm sorry to be so negative about this inspiration, but in Korea, we have such a high regard for the elderly that sometimes they have a tendency to overestimate their own worth.
--- p.204, from “The Old Man with the Umbrella Hat”

This young man is a farmer who used to bring rice and vegetables to the house where I stayed when I was staying in Wonsan.
When I said I wanted to draw, he took it very seriously and came dressed up neatly.
I really wanted to draw a picture of my usual appearance, so I can't help but feel regretful...

At a loss, I decided to sketch him standing tense and serious, with his hands clasped in front of him.
This tense posture was also the same for the country gentleman and princess lady I had drawn.
In Korea, there were strict rules regarding language and behavior.
Because I know that, I never tell the model what to do, but always ask someone else, like the oldest woman there, to just fix the clothes.
The farmer stands in his smart attire as if he were going out to the city.

The fields seen behind are ready for rice planting.
The rice fields are a very peaceful sight, and tell nothing of the stench of manure rising from them or the backbreaking work that goes on there.
According to experts, Korean rice is tastier than Chinese or Japanese rice.

As is the case everywhere in Korea, the lower branches of pine trees are cut down and used as firewood.
Korea's patient oxen plow fields and transport goods.
When you carry a mountain of firewood on your back, you can't see the cow, only its four legs.
--- p.228, from “The Farmer”

The woman we called Soon stood as a model in formal attire.
Sooni's great-grandmother prepared it with great care.
It didn't seem right to me that he had hung a long white cloth like a belt down the middle of Sooni's skirt.

Suni sat motionless like a statue, like a bride on her wedding day.
Japanese women sit on the floor with their legs together and knees together, not moving at all.
On the other hand, it is customary for Korean women to sit cross-legged and, when tired, do not hesitate to straighten their legs.
When I draw Korean women coming to church, I can see their skirts suddenly rising and falling every time they sit down, which is an interesting sight.

In Korean families, women are treated worse than men, but during the March 1st Movement, women fought just as well as men.
He delivered secret documents, distributed the Joseon Independence Newspaper, participated in underground organizations, and refused to yield even when subjected to all kinds of torture.
Korean women have shown how strong they are at every opportunity.

Like women from other Asian countries, Korean women are also talented in theater and entertainment.
I once saw a group of girls at a girls' school perform a play called "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.
Even though the costumes were crude and the stage set was poor, I couldn't help but be amazed at how seriously the characters' emotions were expressed.
In particular, the final scene where the main character Beth dies was truly touching.

Another time I went to a Salvation Army concert, and my heart was touched when a group of twelve orphan girls sang, in broken English, “We want to be happy!”
Most of them were orphans abandoned by their poor families.
Now that they are free from Japanese oppression, I sincerely hope that those children live happily.
--- p.252, from “Sooni in a Formal Dress”

Seoul is the best city for kite flying.
When the kite flying season comes around, one day the sky is suddenly covered with colorful kites.
Most stores sell kites of all sizes, and they are cheap, so some are only available for a few days.

What I've drawn here is a typical scene of children flying kites.
A castle wall built along the ridge is visible behind.
Unfortunately, the walls are damaged and broken in many places.
The hills in Seoul are gentle, making it easy for children to climb up and fly kites.
Korean children's kite-flying skills are amazing.

Kites sometimes encounter accidents where they get caught on the tops of tall trees or the ends of telephone poles.
Korean paper is tough, so it doesn't tear easily even when hung on a tree.
A kite hung on a tree may hang like a ghost for days until the wind blows and tears it apart.
Even when it rains or the strong winds of March blow, the kite hung on the tree stubbornly clings to it.

On the first day of the lunar new year, adults also have kite-flying competitions.
Adults often play kite fighting, a game where the goal is to cut the other person's kite string.
To make kite fighting better, the kite string is coated with glass powder mixed with fish glue.
In his book, Korean Sketches, Dr. Gale said that kite flying competitions in Korea are as exciting as baseball games in the United States.
--- p.280, from "Kite Flying"

Two girls are playing seesaw, a jumping board.
It is a game played mainly in the spring, and along with swing jumping, it is one of the few games played by Korean women.
In the old days, in Korean noble families, when a girl was around eleven years old, she had to live only in the inner quarters and could only play in the courtyard surrounded by a wall.
Then, the girls could catch a glimpse of the world outside the wall by jumping on this seesaw.

Seesaw jumping is actually a dangerous sport and requires skill.
When one woman jumps up and then comes down, placing her entire body weight exactly on her spot, the force of her jump lifts the child on the other side into the sky, sometimes even higher than her own height.
This game involves repeating the movements of going up and down alternately.
If you step wrong while playing, you may hurt your feet or back.
But the girls have no such worries and just enjoy seesaw jumping.

Girls' short jackets look exactly like those worn by their mothers and grandmothers.
A wide, balloon-like undergarment is worn under a wide skirt, but if the outer skirt is made of thin material, the undergarment may be visible.

Girls are taught from a young age that they are inferior to boys.
Sometimes, they don't even give girls names, but instead call them by their birth order, such as first, second, etc.
The little girl carrying a child behind this picture has a name, but it would be better not to have one.
Because his name was 'sorry'.
This is because the girl was born as the fifth daughter in the family and became a source of disappointment to everyone in the family.
The house was located high on a hill, and the view of the distant mountains was beautiful.
The fence was made of woven reeds.
--- p.286, from "Swing Jumping"

The main character in the painting is wearing a yungbok, the uniform of soldiers in the Joseon Dynasty, and a jeollip with white feathers on his head.
He holds a baton called a deungchae in his right hand and sits on a chair, looking to the right.
His face is thin, as befitting a warrior worn down by battle, his eyes are wide and piercing, and his tightly closed mouth is soft yet determined.
Judging by his upturned eyes, erect ears, and neatly trimmed beard, it is clear that he is no ordinary warrior.

In the background, several turtle ships and panokseons are depicted advancing in one direction, waving red flags.
As is often the case with Kiss's watercolors, there is no indication of who is the artist.
However, in Korean history, the only military figure who commanded the turtle ship and achieved brilliant feats was Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who saved the country by setting a record of victory during the Imjin War.
Please refer to the following pages for details on the discovery and acquisition of this painting, as well as the specific basis for the estimate. (_Translator)

--- p.298, from “Portrait of General Yi Sun-sin (estimated)”