Princess Deokhye’s Ceremonial Long Jacket

This ceremonial long jacket is one of the clothing artifacts from the royal Joseon household left behind after Princess Deokhye, daughter of Emperor Gojong, stayed in Japan. The Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum in Tokyo, Japan re-donated this jacket to the National Palace Museum of Korea in 2015 after it had been given to the Costume Museum by Imperial Prince Yeong and his consort.
This jacket is a semi-official daily garment of the royal court. It is longer than the average upper jacket and has deep openings on both sides with white extended cuffs attached at the end of the sleeves. An unlined long jacket made of patterned green silk, this is presumed to have belonged to Princess Deokhye around the age of one, judging from its size. On the chest, back, and shoulders are gold-foil printed insignias attached with a five-clawed dragon design. Overall parts of the jacket such as the front and back panel, coat string, and sleeves as well as white extended cuffs were printed with Chinese characters for longevity (壽) and fortune (福) in gold.