The arrival of the first Western missionaries in Korea in the late 19th century was a pivotal moment in the history of Christianity in Korea and the history of Korea as a whole. The missionaries established new religious identities and stoked early culture clashes. They also documented their mission and the society around them with early cameras. Missionary Photography in Korea: Encountering the West Through Christianity—the largest ever show of Korean missionary photographs in the U.S.—features rare images taken by missionaries in Korea between 1890 and 1940.

Taken by both Protestant and Catholic missionaries, the photographs—on display along with unique supplementary objects such as an original photo album and New Year's calendars—offer a singular perspective on life in Korea during times of profound change. They illustrate the forging of contemporary institutions and values in the crucible of encounters with American Christian missionaries by Koreans.

The impact of early Western contact on Koreans is evident in the telltale signs of new cultural norms and new religious identities, and clues that these new ways were conflicting with long-held traditions. Less directly evident, but equally important, the images also allow the viewer to surmise how Koreans in turn had a formative impact on the missionaries, which led to intertwined personal histories that became a foundation for subsequent relations between Korea and the United States.

Drawn from four private collections and six academic archives, the images have been digitally restored and printed in a manner that retains, as far as possible, the archival quality of the images.

Purchase the 184-page hardcover exhibition catalog.

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Hardcover Exhibition Catalog, Missionary Photography in Korea

Non-Member (pick up at TKS) $40 Current Member (pick up at TKS) $30 Catalog with New Membership (pick up at TKS) $55 Non-Member (shipped to your U.S. address) $40.00 Current Member (shipped to your U.S. address) $35.00 Catalog with New Membership (shipped to your U.S. address) $55.00
Exhibition Catalog $40.00

 

1. Anti-TB campaign Christmas Seals (Seoul / 1930s, Norman Thorpe Collection)
2. Western Style Clothing Shop in Korea (Chemulp'o Port/ca. 1910, Mission Photograph Collection, General Commission on Archives and History, The United Methodist Church, Madison, New Jersey)
3. A Christian Wedding (Seoul/ca. 1920, Mission Photograph Collection, General Commission on Archives and History, The United Methodist Church, Madison, New Jersey)
4. Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (P'yŏngyang / 1924, Maryknoll Mission Archives)
5. Soongsil Christian Academy’s Soccer Team Champions (P’yŏngyang / 1925, The Moffett Korea Collection, Special Collections of the Princeton Theological Seminary)
6. Missionary Children: The Roberts Daughters (Sonch’ŏn, North Pyŏngan Province / ca. 1910, Donald Clark Collection)