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A TRAUMA-INFORMED EXPLORATION of ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY
THE PICTURE BRIDES
1905 – 1924
In the early twentieth century, thousands of Japanese and Korean picture brides moved to Hawaii and the west coast of the United States. The term "picture bride" comes from the fact that one member of the soon-to-be couple would select the other from a photograph. There were numerous reasons why these women chose the fate of a picture bride: they often satisfied social pressures and familial obligations, while others had economic incentives to help their families. When it comes to Korean pictures brides in particular, many sought to escape Japanese occupation that began in 1905.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Chai, A. Y. (1979). “Mrs. K.”: Oral History of a Korean Picture Bride. Women’s Studies Newsletter, 7(4), 10–13. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25159510
Chai, A. Y. (1988). Women’s History in Public: “Picture Brides” of Hawaii. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 16(1/2), 51–62. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40003801
Kim, J. (2020). Korean Pioneer Women: Picture Brides and the Formation of Upwardly Mobile Korean Families in California, 1910s-1930s. Korea Journal, 60(1), 207-238. https://kj.accesson.kr/assets/pdf/8515/journal-60-1-207.pdf
Kang, K. (2011). Picture Brides’ in Hawaii Backed Korea’s independence. The Korea Times. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/01/113_95014.html
Oh, Y. (2017). Korean Picture Brides in Hawaii: Historical and Literary Narratives. Journal of Literature and Art Studies, 7(12), 1632-1644. doi: 10.17265/2159-5836/2017.12.016
Picture brides and Japanese immigration. New York Historical Society: Women & the American Story. https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/xenophobia-and-racism/picture-brides-and-japanese-immigration/#resource
Simpson, K. (2012, July 31). Japanese picture brides: Building a family through photographs. KCET. https://www.kcet.org/shows/departures/japanese-picture-brides-building-a-family-through-photographs
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Great Kanto Earthquake
Internment of Japanese Americans
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The War Brides
Immigration and Nationality Act
Redress Payments
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COVID-19 Anti-Asian Sentiment
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