This article analyzes the political significance of the portrait and portrait hall of King Taejo during the reign of King Gojong(r.1863~1907). It examines what changes these works’ characteristics underwent in this period of politically rapid change, and what differences they had from those in previous periods. At the times of Gojong, the tradition of portrait painting and portrait hall of King Taejo had already been established. King Gojong, considering the new political situation, had to decide whether he should succeed the previous tradition, or abolish it. King Gojong, who had been enthroned in 1863, was not able to lead the political situation at the beginning. Behind King Gojong, Queen Dowager Sinjeong and Grand Prince Yi Ha’eung pursued policies for strengthening the King’s power and promoting the status of the royal family through various royal rituals. After his enthronement, King Gojong frequently visited tombs of previous kings including King Taejo. However, at that time, he did not pay much attention to Taejo, who had founded Joseon. Afterwards, there increasingly arose interest in Taejo, and then portraits of him came to be made in 1872. This had been executed in order to repair them with those portraits of Taejo placed in Yeonghi Hall and Gyeonggi Hall due to their weariness. The year of 1872 was the one falling under the eighth 60th birthday anniversary from the foundation of Joseon. The new portraits were made to commemorate this. It also was one of the reasons for the painting of the portraits that King Gojong tried to preserve the royal family by depending on the ancestors’ virtues as a prince died on the 4th day from his birth. Then, King Gojong escaped from the influence of his father Yi Ha’eung to lead the political situation for himself. After all, the production of Taejo’s portraits were fulfilled for political purposes. When Eulmi Incident broke out in 1895 in which Queen Myeongseong was killed by Japanese assassins, Gojong concealed himself into the Russian legation. When he returned to Gyeongun Palace in 1897, Gojong changed the name of the country from Joseon to the Great Daehan, and entitled himself Emperor. This was due to his intention to pursue modernization and strengthen his status as an absolute sovereign. Gojong enforced many policies to redeem the authority of the royal family. In 1899, he repaired the tomb of Yi Han, the founder of the royal Yi family, located in Mount Geonji, Jeonju, and then constructed Jogyeongdan altar. However, this tomb was only known to be Yi Han’s, but there had not been any concrete evidence. After all, Gojong tried to find out the orthodoxy of his enthronement as an emperor from his far ancestor. In 1900, Gojong again made another portrait of King Taejo. This time, he displayed the portrait in Seonwon Hall within the palace where the portraits of successive kings had been enshrined. He also restored Mokcheong Hall, a portrait hall for Taejo located in Gaeseong. Gojong had his portraits painted most actively among other kings of Joseon. He had done it in new ways using photographs and oil painting, and spread them through press. Though the production of Taejo’s portrait in 1872 promoted the status of Gojong as a king, it basically maintained the traditional functions of kings’ portraits following the convention of the past. However, the Great Daehan was proceeding in the direction of a modern state. Gojong paid enormous costs to repair the palace and previous kings’ tombs, and maintain luxurious ceremonies. This was a way to create a new tradition by using an old tradition, rather than to maintain previous traditions in an old way. The enterprise of the production of Taejo’s portrait and restoration of his portrait hall in 1900 was an example. Through this, Gojong tried not to seek the orthodoxy of the sovereign from transcendent and invisible traditions, but to create a dignified order of government through worldly and visible memories and monuments. Paradoxically, Gojong could not help making efforts to preserve the royal family, which supported his status of emperor, while founding a modern state. Due to this, modern reforms comprised with past traditions, and he tried to seek his authority and orthodoxy from monuments that showed cultural and historical successiveness. However, as such efforts did not fit to chaotic political situations at that time, the new traditions were not maintained and shortly disappeared.