閨閤叢書解說 : On the Rules of Needlework, Dyeing and Washing 縫임則·染色·洗衣篇 = KYU HAP CHONG SUE HAESEUL(閨閤叢書解說) A Series of Expositions of Korean Traditional Ceremonial Costumes

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

About two hundred years ago a book was vritten by a woman in Hangeul(the Korean alphabet) on the subject of the general aspects of the old Korean domestic life of woman. In fact, the book had proved to be the most important source of data which ever came out especially in the light of presenting authentically and transmitting widely the ways of the real domestic life of women of our country. Further, it is quite amazing to see that the contents of this book appeared to have been very scientific and utilitarian in the matters of clothing.
In regard to needlework, the book showed that women of those days, chose days seperately for cutting and needleworking, and also it presented all the various styles and measurements for the costumes like Sim Eeu(深衣-full dress worn by hermit scholars), Won Sam(圓衫-a grand ceremonial dress for women), Nan Sam(鸞衫-formal light green costume for those who passed the higher state examination), Kwan Bok(冠服-official outfit for men), Yeou Jeuk Sam(女赤衫-summr outer top for women) and Dang Eeu(唐衣-common ceremonial dress for women). Another interesting feature of the articles of the book was the elaborate, concrete description of how to prevent the needle from getting rusted by burying it in ashes.
In the technique of dyeing, dyestuffs were contrived out of the leaves, trunks, roots, flowers and fruits of various plants, and ash, alum, schizandra fruit and home-made ice were used as a dye-accelerant or dye retardation or colour -generator. Also, when water is used, women of those days avoided using nothing but freshwater and boiled water. As to the utensils used for dyeing, iron-made ones were normally refrained from. Thus, these showed the evidence that women at that time had possessed quite a considerable degree of scientific knowledge and that they were sincere and meticulous in their dyeing process.
Also, in the procee of washing clothes or removing stains, fruits of schizandra and Cape jasmine were used as a colour-generator; and starch, radish sap, peach foliage and ginger sap as a solvent; and left-over water of bean-curd, starch water, green-bean sap, amantus blitum, taro, gingko as well as garlic saps as a detergent; and bone ash and mixed powder as an absorbent.
In addition, they made use of the physical, chemical actions of the substances and pigments contained in the medicinal or other plants. Moreover, the book showed that study on clothes management, for instanrce, starching and fulling clothes or contriving a measure to stamp out worms must have steadily been going on in accordance with the basis of their long experiences. Therefore, even if the articles of the book had not been written in modern language or in a structure for mula of chemistry, methods and techniques adopted by women of those days can be said to have relied upon a scientific basis.
Also, in this book we can have an insight into the diligent and emotional side of the domestic life of women at that time especially when we come to know the fact that they even used dye-in-clour letter sheets which they made by themselves.
Accordingly, therefore, I think that it would be a worthwhile research subject to compare the clothes management of modern women living in the world of kndustri-alized synthetic fibre-textiles and of synthetic dyes with the genuine methods and techniques of those women of two hundred years age.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 序言
• Ⅱ. 縫임則
• Ⅲ. 染色法
• Ⅳ. 搗砧法
• Ⅴ. 洗衣法
• Ⅵ. 衣帛皮物 制두法
• Ⅶ. 結語n