Care home resident reunited with traditional garment from 100 years ago

A woman at a care home in Edinburgh has been reunited with the traditional Korean outfit she wore almost 100 years ago.

Mary Davidson Smith, 104, was born in Korea before moving around the globe and settling in Edinburgh to raise her two sons.

A former member of the Royal Navy, Ms Smith was posted to Washington DC, where she met her husband, Charles Wynard Davidson Smith, a British Army officer.

When the couple moved to Edinburgh together, Ms Smith donated a traditional Korean outfit made for her by her nurse from when she was a young child to the National Museum of Scotland, where it is on display in the Patterns of Life gallery.

Mary Davidson Smith reunites with her childhood dress at the National Museum of Scotland (Stewart Attwood/PA)

The team at Care UK’s Murrayside home in Corstorphine were made aware of Ms Smith’s desire to be reconnected with the garment and set to work to reunite her with her childhood memory.

She was invited for a special trip to the museum, where officials took her on a private tour of the gallery and reunited her with the special outfit.

Ms Smith said: “I felt like some sort of celebrity! It was so nice to see the dress again, it was a lot smaller than I remember.”

She was welcomed to the museum by Dr Friederike Voigt, principal curator with responsibility for the west, south and south-east Asia collections.

Dr Voigt said: “It was wonderful to have the opportunity to welcome Mary to the museum and reunite her with her outfit.

“Comprising a hat, bag and a wraparound jacket – known as a chimageogori – it’s a charming example of traditional Korean dress, or hanbok. We are grateful to Mary for her generous donation.”

When Mary shared her desire to see her childhood outfit once again, we knew we had to make it happen

Suzanne Welsh, Murrayside home manager

Ms Smith’s experience was part of Care UK’s Wishing Tree initiative, in which each care home encourages residents to put forward their dreams, allowing them to reconnect with a past hobby or try something completely new.

Suzanne Welsh, home manager at Murrayside, said: “No matter how big or small, we always aim to make residents’ wishes come true. When Mary shared her desire to see her childhood outfit once again, we knew we had to make it happen.

“It was such a wonderful day surprising Mary with a visit to the National Museum of Scotland, where she was able to see the outfit in person.

“The trip was incredibly emotional and nostalgic, reconnecting her with cherished memories from her early years and bringing a piece of history vividly to life.

“Seeing Mary’s face light up with delight was truly heartwarming. It was a very special day filled with pride.

“A huge thank you to the museum team, especially Friederike, for helping to arrange the visit and bring such meaningful memories back to life.”