Jacket

Item number Ed1.323 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Upper body garment made of lightweight grey silk gauze patterned with roundels of bats surrounding a circular form of wide lines forming an even cross with arms curving around and bent inwards. The gauze fabric has an overall pattern of small rectangles. The garment is lined with loosely woven white silk. The long sleeves are inset with straight seams. The seam of the sleeves, under the arms, has a pronounced convex curve, narrowing to the wrist. The body of the garment curves downwards to the centre front. It opens at the front, and the front edges are extended with panels extending down from the mid-point of the outer facing. The front panels overlap to the left when closed. The left side has a small fabric triangle attached where the outer facing meets the front edge. The left outer facing is rounded at the lower edge, while that on the left is straight and projects beyond the front edge of the garment. On the right side a small square fabric tab is attached. There is also a narrow facing or collar of white shiny paper, which is partially detached and broken in many places.

History Of Use

Such “Jo-go-ri”, made of extravagant gauze fabrics were favoured in the postwar period. During the 1950s the underarm seams were longer than those worn both previously and later, and the garment as a whole was wider, making it more comfortable. The curve at the lower edge of the sleeve was deeply rounded at this time. Such clothing was worn my middle- and upper-middle class women in the home, while working. Graceful curves, like those at the lower edge of this garment, are important in Korean aesthetics and reflected in various forms, including architecture.

Iconographic Meaning

The bat is a symbol of good fortune.

Specific Techniques

The garment is machine sewn except for the stitches attaching the white collar, which are done by hand.

Narrative

Most of the clothing in the J. McRee Elrod Collection was made for him and his family by friends while they were living in Korea, much of it by Kim, Sung Sook. She and her family lived cooperatively in the same house as the Elrod family. While they were there, the Elrods preferred to wear Korean clothing on very cold days and for social occasions. They found it to be more comfortable than western clothing in cold weather, as public buildings were unheated in the period immediately following the Korean War. It also was more comfortable for floor seating in Korean homes, and easier to store with limited furniture than western clothing. The children’s clothing was worn by their children Mark and Lona.