Lot Essay
A rare album originally compiled by Monsieur Clemencet, a Frenchman who took part in an official mission to establish the postal service in Korea before the Russo-Japanese war, and comprising both amateur and professional photographs of the French in Korea at the turn of the century. Including large group portraits of Korean officials in traditional dress with a few Frenchmen seated amongst them (one illus.), Korean soldiers, picnicking and boating scenes, portraits of villagers, a rare image of a young Korean woman partially dressed (illus.), hunting scenes, architectural studies of temples and pagodas, Koreans playing a board game in the grass, street views and a few costume studies.