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Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.
In the early hours of Aug. 2, 1911, much of the population of Seoul gathered in the streets to pay their final respects to Lady Eom, the consort of ex-Emperor Gojong. Addie Lea Jordan had traveled from Jemulpo (part of modern-day Incheon) by train and rickshaw to witness the funeral of a woman she knew nothing about. In fact, few non-Koreans knew much about her at all.
A Western residence in Jemulpo in the early 20th century / Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jemulpo (part of modern-day Incheon) was a popular place for Westerners ― especially those in Seoul ― to escape Korea's unbearable summer heat. Most of these summer visitors stayed in the handful of hotels that were available but a few ― the luckier ones ― were able to find lodging with one of the few Western residents of the port. It is through the visitors' letters home that we gain some knowledge of what life was like for the residents of Jemulpo.In 1911, Frank H. Henderson, an American who managed the British Cigarette Company's operations in Jemulpo, invited his mother, his sister Addie Lea and her family (husband Thomas Jordan, their 14-year-old son Thomas Jr. and their 11-year-old daughter Bessie) to spend the summer at his house ― Pinehurst Villa.The Jordans and the elderly Mrs. Henderson departed Louisiana in mid-June, traveled to Hawaii and then through Japan and finally arrived in Fusan (modern-day Busan) about a month later where they b
A market in Daegu circa 1900 / Courtesy of Diane Nars CollectionBy Robert NeffOn the evening of Dec. 18, 1892, Father Jozeau, accompanied by his teacher and a servant, were passing “quietly” through the streets of Gimcheon. This month had been unusually cold and the three were trying to get to the home of a Korean Catholic as quick as possible.The cold was not the only thing they were worried about. The people of this region tended to be intolerant to new ideas ― especially foreigners and their religious beliefs. Despite the fading light, they were soon noticed by a crowd of men who recognized Jozeau as a foreigner. It is not clear but this day may have been one of the market days which would account for the large number of men in the city at the time. The market experience was often made more enjoyable with several cups of alcohol which may have contributed to their hostility. They jeered at the small group and began yelling threats that they would stone the foreigner to death. Jozeau, however, ignored them and continued to walk quietly, intent on reaching their intended
The officers and crew of the U.S.S. Monocacy in 1871 / Courtesy of Thomas DuvernayBy Robert NeffUnsurprisingly, you have probably never heard of Bowline Tom, Bassilio, Fore Brace, Jib Sheet and Main Tack; they were the names given to five young shipwrecked Korean fishermen who were rescued by the American warship Colorado as it sailed to Nagasaki in May 1871. These fishermen ― the youngest was only 19 and the oldest was 22 ― were among the earliest Korean witnesses of the preparations leading up to Sinmiyangyo ― the brief conflict between the United States and Korea in June 1871.The American fleet arrived off the coast of Jemulpo (modern-day Incheon) on May 23 and began conducting surveys. On May 31, a Korean delegation was entertained aboard the American flagship in which the Americans tried to reassure their imposed-upon hosts that they came in peace and only wanted to survey the surrounding coastal areas. The Korean delegation gave no response which the Americans mistook as approval. According to professor Thomas Duvernay, “This was probably the first cultural misunderstandi
When Mark Napier Trollope visited Gangwha Island in the spring of 1894, he described the island's chief city as “a miniature of Seoul, with its embattled walls climbing up and down the hills which surround it, its pavilioned gateways with their iron-plated gates, the old city bell hanging in its kiosk in the centre of the city, and rung night and morning for the shutting and opening of the city gates, and the official residences of the Governor, &c., representing the palace at the capital (sic).”
Samnangseong Fortress in May 2020 / Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffOne fine morning in the spring of 1893, John Wyers, the constable of the British Legation, left Seoul and walked the 40 kilometers to Jemulpo (modern Incheon). He described it as “the most charming walk imaginable” ― not many of his fellow expats had the same generous opinion of that walk ― and arrived in the port by afternoon.A corpse wrapped in straw is left outside the city gate in the late 19th century. / Courtesy of Diane Nars CollectionIt was here that he met his traveling companion, Joseph H. Pownall, an Anglican missionary, and they finished preparing for their trip to Ganghwa Island. Wyers was in good spirits and, judging from his writing, was excited at the prospect of seeing the island that so few knew much about. The next day, at 4 p.m., the two men, along with their Chinese cook and a Korean porter, boarded a Korean junk and sailed out of the harbor. They not been sailing for long when they made a ghastly discovery.On one of the river's banks were several dead bodies covered with straw an
The Geumgang (Silk River) from the walls of the mountain fortress in Gongju in 2017. Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffWhen John K. Jackson, an American Peace Corps Volunteer, arrived in Gongju in February 1971, the first thing he noticed was Geumgang (Silk River) and its “lovely sandy shores.” The river would become an important part of his life while he lived in that city and is still one of his most cherished memories.Jackson lived in a “thatch roof farmer's house” in a large pine thicket near the river, which he had to cross to get to the university where he taught. One day, in the summer, rather than walking the twenty minutes to the bus stop to take the ten minute bus trip to his school, he decided to wade across the seemingly shallow river as a shortcut. Holding his book bag, pants and shoes over his head, he started across, only to realize that it was far deeper than he initially thought.“I taught my classes in a shirt wet up to my chest. It was one way to beat the heat when there was no air conditioning.” Another way to cross the river w
The river port of Yongsan, circa the 1900s. Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn May 1903, Charles Allen Clark, an American missionary, made his first trip outside of the comforts of Seoul. Clark was still relatively new to Korea and his language ability and familiarity with Korean culture were still somewhat lacking. He did, however, provide an interesting view of what it was like to travel down the Han River to the Yellow Sea at the beginning of the twentieth century.Clark and another missionary departed Seoul through the South Gate on May 4, Buddha's Birthday. They were not alone. Accompanying them were Clark's teacher, the party's cook and the cook's mother-in-law.Clark declared that “heathendom was in gala attire” and that every house was decorated with flags and streamers. “Huge fish-shaped balloons [floated] from poles over houses where male children had come during the year.”The streets were crowded with people from the countryside who had come to the capital to sightsee and were entertained by “a dozen cheap Japanese theatres [that] had sprung
Modern budae jjigae, a popular dish ― especially when drinking soju ― in Korea / Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert Neff“An army marches on its stomach,” is an old saying that has been attributed to Napoleon ― or, depending on your source, Frederick the Great ― emphasizing how important food is to the military. Anyone who has served in the military is more than aware of the impact the quality of food has on morale and discipline. For the American sailors and marines serving in the Far East in the early 20th century, military chow tended to be less than desirable.On Oct. 23, 1901, Paul Weston, a sailor aboard the U.S.S. Helena gunboat, as it cruised along the Korean Peninsula, described the joy of having his first “sea pie” (a layered meat pie popular with British and American sailors) after several months at sea:“Everybody was hungry as a sealer, and we couldn't wait for that sea pie to come. The bottom sides and top were hard tack. The inside or part of it, was as follows: salt horse, salt pork, canned woolie, cheese, onions, spuds, cabbage, a jack knife o
Russian military instructors with Korean soldiers in the late 1890s / Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffAt the beginning of 1904, Seoul was a city filled with soldiers. Lillias Underwood, an American missionary, described the capital as having “many long rows of barracks all over the city, for the Emperor had nearly ten thousand troops” and the streets nearby Deoksu Palace were constantly filled with Korean soldiers and their officers guarding the Korean monarch. War between Russia and Japan was expected to begin at any moment.However, the Koreans were not the only soldiers in the city. She recalled that “soldiers arrived in goodly numbers at the Russian, Japanese, French, Italian, German, English, and American legations. Arms bristled everywhere, uniforms of many nations varied the almost universal white of the Korean people; there was marching and countermarching, sentinels as thick as flies…” Her home was surrounded by legations (the Russian compound on one side, the American compound on the other and the French in front) and was located near the p