sophie's fair

sweet 16 started off quite remarkably. that was when i seriously started collecting mementoes. memories of my childhood were packed away in the small chest that my grandmother's sister gave me. in that chest were bits and pieces of what i liked and hoped to be.

All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full.
-- 2 Chronicles 24:10

long time ago, a groom pays a "dowry" or "bride price" to the bride's family in return for her hand. a daughter was an asset and an integral part of the family, so to cope with the loss of a daughter, the family would need some form of comfort. the "dowry" a groom paid would help her family to hire someone that would fill in their daughter's work.

If Isabella wept in the privacy of her chambers for the loss of her son, she represented the face of an indomitable queen to the world. At the height of her grief, she prepared to surrender another child for the glory and prestige of Spain.
Henry Vll was still eager for the betrothal of his son and heir, Arthur, to Catalina. The dowry was finally agreed upon:
200,000 crowns, half of which would be paid on the wedding day, 50,000 to be paid six months later and 50,000 within a year, the latter payment made up of 15,000 in cash and jewels and the remainder in plate valued at 35,000 which Catalina was to bring with her.

On Whitsunday, 1499, Catalina and Arthur were married by proxy with the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield representing the Prince and Dr. Rodrigo de Puebla the Princess. Catalina was nearly fourteen and Arthur thirteen.
-- Catherine the Queen by Mary Luke

centuries later, the customs and manner of dowries changed. although it's hard to say at what point this changed, after 1000 A.D., references show that the bride's family was no longer paid for the bride, but that the bride took with her a dowry (her inheritance) of either money, land, material possessions, or even all three.

It is not hard to imagine how the hope chest idea grew out of the custom of the dowry. Young girls realized the part money and possessions played in winning a husband. Thus in Rumania, for instance, girls begin at a very young age to make their bridal finery and the linen they will require for their homes. It was even customary, at one time, for the bridegroom to examine these trousseaux and determine whether or not they were complete. The choice of the bride depended in many cases upon the value of her outfit.
-- The New Etiquette, 1924

the hope chest became the symbol of the parents' love and concern for their daughter's future; in it were items wrapped and meticulously packed, set aside for the time when their daughter moves into her new home.

The old-fashioned trousseau was planned by indulgent fathers and zealous mothers to last a lifetime. It included stout linens and embroideries that would give a generation of service without showing signs of wear, laces and brocades intended for household possessions to be handed down from mother to daughter, velvets for winter draperies and sheer fabrics for summer curtains. Even people in modest circumstances felt it their duty to outfit their daughters for marriage so that they would not find it necessary to purchase a napkin or towel for years.
-- The New Etiquette, 1924

i remember being fascinated by the wonderful odd things that were lovingly kept in my grandmother's belle armoire. i would longingly gaze at the souvenirs that my grandmother must have acquired when she was younger. my own hope chest continues to preserve my potpourri of childhood treasures and trifles. it's probably not an appropriate bridal trousseau, but it embodies a tradition of hope and love that i would want to pass on to my future granddaughters and great-nieces.

If you would preserve your children from the pernicious influence of indolence and all its corrupting tendencies, you must be earnest in purpose, active, energetic, and fervent in spirit. Earnestness sharpens the faculties, indolence corrodes and dulls them. By the former we rise higher and higher, by the latter we sink lower and lower. Indolence begets discontent, envy and jealousy, while labor elevates the mind and character. Cultivate in your children habits of thought which will keep their minds occupied upon something that will be of use or advantage, and prevent them from acquiring habits of idleness, if you would secure their future well-being.
-- Our Deportment by John Young, 1881

collecting is a great hobby. it keeps us physically and cerebrally active. it is a continuation of the interests we developed at an early age. my friend's watercolour painting, my artworks and calligraphy, the clay pots and spoons, and my miniature china teaset were all part of my hope chest collection. maybe unconsciously, i was really preparing for the future.

And Jacob loved Rachel: and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man; abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for love he had to her.
-- Genesis 29:18-20