Summer Jacket Item Number: Ed1.309 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Man’s jacket of natural colour hemp cloth, somewhat coarse and very light brown in colour. Jacket is waist-length and opens at the front, with the left side lapping over the right when closed. Panels are added to the front edge at each side to extend the overlap. The deep V neckline is edged on the outside with a facing 7 cm wide, with rounded corners at the bottom. A tab with a buttonhole is attached to the place where the facing joins the front edge, and this aligns with a tab on the right side to which is sewn a shank button of pearly plastic. The lower edge of the garment curves downward to the centre front. There is a centre back seam, and the sleeves are inset with a straight seam, and joined with another seam between elbow and wrist. The lower edges of the sleeves have convex curves, narrowing towards the wrist. There is a square reinforcement sewn to the inside of each underarm. All the hems are very narrow.
History Of Use
Hemp clothing was worn in the summer for comfort. The cloth (sambe) was hand-woven by members of special guilds, to a narrow loom-width. A man’s hemp jacket was longer than those worn by women. After 1955, buttons were often used to fasten them, rather than the ribbon ties that had been used until then. In this period of industrialization, it was considered important to have clothing that made it easy to move. If western clothing was not worn, then at least the Korean style clothing should be made more practical. Eliminating the stiff inner collar was another move towards practicality. Hemp clothing is also used for the dead, and often is prepared by children for parents who reach the age of 60, but in that case the best quality hemp fabric is used and it is left roughly finished as knots used in finishing the fabric are considered to prevent the ascent of the soul to heaven.
Specific Techniques
Seams and hems are machine-sewn. Facing is hand-sewn with invisible stitching.
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.
Item History
- Made by Sung Sook Kim (Maker) in Seoul, Korea between 1955 and 1960
- Collected between 1955 and 1960
- Owned by J. McRee Elrod before October 13, 1976
- Received from J. McRee Elrod (Donor) on October 13, 1976
What
- Name
- Summer Jacket
- Identification Number
- Ed1.309
- Type of Item
- jacket
- Material
- hemp fibre, cotton fibre and plastic
- Manufacturing Technique
- spun, woven, cut and sewn
- Overall
- height 60.0 cm, width 152.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Korean
- Creator
- Sung Sook Kim (Maker)
- Previous Owner
- J. McRee Elrod
- Received from
- J. McRee Elrod (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Seoul, Korea
When
- Creation Date
- between 1955 and 1960
- Collection Date
- between 1955 and 1960
- Ownership Date
- before October 13, 1976
- Acquisition Date
- on October 13, 1976
Other
- Item Classes
- textiles
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 0335/0002 b