Tortoise-shell Hat Brush

Gatsol, also called swaeja, is a small brush used to clean horsehair-woven headbands, skullcaps, and hats. The said headband, or manggeon, was worn by adult males of the Joseon Dynasty in their daily lives, and generally made of horsehair. Since the official hats for men were made by weaving together horsehair and thin bamboo strips, they were susceptible to collecting dust and debris, and this brush was used to whisk them clean. Since dry horsehair snaps easily, the brush was always soaked in water when being used, since wet horsehair becomes soft and flexible. To remove dirt from a headband, it was said that it was better to apply egg yolk to the headband before cleaning it with a brush and aconite, or boiling it in lye. The brush shown here is decorated with sea turtle shell, with the top part of the handle thinner than the body and decorated with a round piece of turtle shell inserted into the top part. At the upper part of the shell is a hole drilled to allow a string to pass through. The bristles are kept trimmed in order to increase resistance when the brush is applied to remove dust.