Krása a moc / Beauty and Power

Visual sources are one of the basic sources for the study of history. They are an invaluable source of information for the history of clothing. This thesis explores the depiction of clothing in Chinese traditional painting and historical photographs. It presents scroll paintings from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and photographs from the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century from the collection of the Náprstek Museum. The analysis of these visual sources focuses primarily on ritual posthumous portraits and the painting genre of "beautiful women". Historical photographs depict the clothing in arranged studio portraits. The thesis addresses the question of whether these sources can be considered reliable sources for the study of historical clothing.

Visual sources are a fundamental source for history studies. They are particularly an invaluable source of information for the history of clothing. This study focuses on the visual depiction of clothing in traditional Chinese paintings and historical photographs.It presents the traditional painting scrolls from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the photographs from the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century kept in the collection of the Náprstek museum in Prague. The analysis of the visual sources is focused mainly on ritual ancestral portraits and the genre paintings of "beautiful women". Historical photographs depict clothing in staged studio portraits. The study poses the question of whether these visual sources can be reliable for analysing historical clothing.