Seoul has been a capital for more than 600 years. And yet the records of those who visited in the mid-19th century describe Seoul -- or Hanyang, as it was then known -- as less an imperial
capital than a sleepy provincial hamlet.
The city, shown here at the turn of the century, was made up of small, thatched-roof houses. A planned street grid had yet to be developed, and it was a common sight to see women doing their laundry in the streams that passed through the city. It was not until the late 19th century, under King Kojong, that Seoul began to modernize, with streetlights, tram service, and wide streets beginning to replace the city's network of narrow, winding alleyways navigated by horse-drawn carts.
Library of Congress
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