The Southern Gate of Seoul

Visit to the Land of Morning Calm

travelphoto

Archive

Accession Nr.: A.4760.2.23.5.
Type: photograph
Artist/Maker:
Date of production:
1908
Place of production:
Acquisition: collection of Dezső Bozóky
Signed: Below the photo: Dezső Bozóky's handwriting:
The South Gate in Seoul.
Materials/Techniques: gelatin silver contact print, one half of stereo pair
Dimensions: height: 7.3 cm
width: 8.2 cm
The album containing Dezső Bozóky's travelphotos (second). Related item: A.4760.2. (album). Photograph taken by Dezső Bozóky. Related item: F.2004.658. (photo). There were four large and four smaller gates in the wall that surrounded Seoul. The Southern Gate (Sungye-mun, “Gate of Honouring Propriety”) was erected in 1396, and was rebuilt several times during the 15th century. Also visible in the picture are the construction works that were carried out around the partially demolished city wall: “From the city walls, already pulled down in part, they have already cut out the stone gate, which has a beautiful, double curved roof, and a tall arch. The old city gate will subsequently stand in the middle of a circular square, on its own, as an interesting monument, and will be bypassed, left and right, by wide roads of granite cobbles. The gate itself is now also carefully restored” (Bozóky 1911, I. 502). Other publication: Bozóky Dezső: Két év Keletázsiában. Útirajzok. I-II. kötet. China és Korea, Japán. (동아시아에서의 2년. 여행기 I.-II. 권, 중국과 한국, 일본) Nagyvárad, the author's edition, 1911.

place of production: Sungnyemun (숭례문) or Namdaemun ( 남대문)