Historic Dowry List

[Anchor Lead]

A Korean-written list of dowry goods for Princess Deokon, the last princess of the Joseon Dynasty, has been made public for the first time. Let's take a look.

[Pkg]

Queen Soonwon is the wife of King Soonjo and the mother of Crown Prince Hyomyoung, who is now depicted in an ongoing popular TV series. The queen was as caring and loving as other ordinary mothers toward her 16-year-old youngest daughter, Princess Deok-on who was getting married. A list of dowry goods for the princess was written in Korean on a long sheet of paper. The items include ornaments like norigae, thimbles and other sewing articles, and dinnerware. The number amounts to some 200.

[Soundbite] Kim Mi-mi(Curator, the National Hangeul Museum) : "Among lists of dowry goods and articles from the Joseon Dynasty, this is the only one that is for a princess, with the sender and the receiver clarified."

The queen sent letters in Korean to her married daughter. Worried about her sick daughter, she wrote a letter to her son-in-law, explaining in detail how to make a medicinal tea. The queen expressed her deep affection toward the youngest daughter, who was the only child left, as other children had already died.

[Soundbite] Kim Cheol-min(Director, National Hangeul Museum) : "It is special that they sent greetings to each other through hangeul and used the Korean alphabet system in their everyday lives."

In particular, this exhibition features a video on real dowry goods for Princess Deok-on and her wedding ceremony, offering a glimpse into the life of a royal woman in the 19th century.