East Asian Images and Maps

HOLLIS Images is the Harvard Library's dedicated image catalog. It includes content from archives, museums, libraries, and other collections throughout Harvard University. It focuses on artistic and cultural materials.

The simple forms, spare decoration, and monochrome glazes of Joseon period (1392–1910) teabowls first attracted Charles Lang Freer to Korean ceramics. He expanded his collection to include Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) celadons, which had once adorned palaces, Buddhist temples, and private residences of the aristocracy. The same aristocratic patrons commissioned exquisite Buddhist paintings, such as the three rare examples now held by the museum.

This database developed by National Museum of Korea provides digitized photographic plates containing photographs taken and held by Museum of Japanese Government General of Korea during the Japanese colonial period. Digital scanned photographs are arranged by subject and region. Searching and browsing are available and brief bibliographic information is provided. Images can be downloaded as JPG files and catalogues of the collection are also available to download as PDF file format.

The photo postcards image collection of Busan Museum is an archive of about 3,700 digitized postcards of modern Korea from 1910 to 1945, originally printed during the Japanese colonial period. The collection consists of Korean city views (Seoul, Busan, Pyongyang, etc.), historic sites (palaces, temples, etc.), natural landscape (Kŭmgangsan, etc.), Korean customs and people, and so on. It is also available as 8-volume set in book format at the Korean stacks of the Harvard-Yenching Library.

This is the online digital archive of Seoul photographs originally taken between 1950’s and 1980’s. There are about 100,000 scanned photo images in this archive, and images are categorized by period and subject. It is available to browse by geographic district - Ku, in a map of Seoul and search by keyword. Bibliographic information is offered and some of the information may include a map which shows the place in the photographs. Downloading and printing images are also available.

The variety and breadth of the Weisman’s collection of traditional Korean furniture is unmatched in the United States, and is perhaps unrivaled outside Asia. The collection includes about 200 examples of Choson dynasty (1392–1910) furniture, 80 Silla dynasty (668–935 B.C.) stoneware pieces, some 150 folk paintings and wooden bowls and utensils, in addition to other folk arts and crafts. The collection came to the Weisman Art Museum as a bequest from Dr. Edward Reynolds Wright Jr. in 1988.

Hand-painted reproductions of printed propaganda posters.

The images found here in the North Korean Stamp Collection provide a valuable window into shifting politics and culture of North Korea and a different perspective of the nation’s historical place in the modern world. The Collection also serves as a well-curated primary resource for scholars to expand Korean studies in the philatelic realm.

Created by UNESCO and the Library of Congress, the World Digital Library provides free online access to world cultural treasures. Includes manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings from a variety of countries.

The photo postcards image collection of Saga Museum is an archive of about 3,000 digitized postcards of modern Joseon (Korea) from 1900 to 1945, originally printed and published during the Japanese colonial period. The collection includes postcards of commemoration of the Japanese Government General of Korea, the Chosŏn exhibition, city views, historical sites, Korean customs and people, museums in Korea, and so on.

A database of information, maps, drawings, prints and paintings of locations related to the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) and the Dutch West India Company (West-Indische Compagnie, WIC). It contains 9 images of Korean maps.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance Geoportal provides discoverability and facilitates access to geospatial resources. The resources in the portal are selected and curated by librarians and geospatial specialists at ten research institutions in the Big Ten Academic Alliance. The resources include GIS datasets, web services, and digitized historical maps. Learn more about the research institutions involved and the sources of the geospatial records.

There are nearly 90,000 Maps and related materials that are part of National Library of Korea’s collection. In the Map Archive, users can view old Maps and valuable antique Maps including the original and digitized copies of Cheonggudo (a Map of Korea made in 1834) and Haedongyeo-jido. The antiquarian Maps of Korea include illustrated Maps as well as abstract world Maps and symbol-based woodblock Maps. They are considered comprehensive works that combine science, art and thought that represent the times. There are also plans to present other Map materials that were produced across the times, in addition to the old Maps.