The French Monsieur Charles Aleveque (Korean name 안례백-晏禮百) had done various important rolls between France and Dae-Han (old Korea) empire. He made the first photo postcards and distributed them. He also published the French-Korean dictionary, and represented Korea government for the Paris World Expo.
As a representative for “French company of Fareast Indo”, he mediated trade for Korea, and imported the modernizing materials for the government of the Dae-han empire.
After he entered Korea as first time October 1897, he traveled between Korea and Shanghai, March 1899 he related with the import of the rifles for the government, and has been sent to France in a representative capacity for the obtaining a loan from France. Also he represented Korea govenrment for the Paris World Expo 1900.
July 1901 he went to Rondon and Tongking, China for the rice import. He had been also a French teacher for the governmental institute of foreign language school at the Jung-dong, Seoul.
In 1901 he published French-Korea dictionary as first time in Korea, it’s title was ‘Petit Dictionnaire Français-Coréen’, and at the foreword he wrote “À Monsieur Collin de Plancy Ministre de France à Séoul” that he dedicated the dictionary to the Franch embassador Collin de Plancy.
And he was related with the Korea stamp history to make the photo postcards and distributed the “Aleveque photo postcards”.
Aleveque’s photo postcards
1899 E. Clemencent, the foreign adviser for Korea postal services, proposed to the government that the marketing of the photo postcards would be a help for the govermental finance. The government requested Charles Aleveque to make the photo postcards with the photos that he took from the palace and the public scenes. Those were the photo postcards of Aleveque which was the first published photo postcards in Korea.
All those total 48 photo postcards show the scenes of the period of late Dae-han empire, so they are not only for the postal history but also for the history of Korea itself as the valuable materials.
He brought the photos to France and manufactured as photo postcards, and sold at the 1900 Paris World Expo.
And also he brought some of them to Korea, and put the Eagle stamps on them to sell. Among those 48 photo postcards, there were some of the national burial of the empress Myung-sung.
The shape of those photo postcards were having a picture, in the right corner, there was handwriting, in Korean, “Aleveque, teacher of French school, Seoul, Dae-Han”, in the uper left corner, in French, ‘Séoul (Corée)’as ”Seoul, Dae-Han”, and down of the photo, there is number of the cards and the explanation.
Samples of the Aleveque Photo Postal Cards
Charles Alévêque with his French language school students in Korea, 1900.
This photo asummed as the empress Myung-Sung and incerted in the text book of Korean history until recent.
This photo show powerful vassal Hong-reuk Kim. He became capital punishment under the crime of poisoning emperor.
National funeral of the empress Myung-sung #1
National funeral of the empress Myung-sung #2
Photo of the minister of finance Yong-ik Lee. He negotiated an entente of the loan, and dispatched Aleveque as a representative for the loan and the Paris World Expo 1900. Aleveque manufactured those photo postcard and distributed.
People were riding on the back rack
Emperor’s throne at the palace
A public funeral
All above from: (https://namu.wiki/샤를%20알레베크)
Eagle 1 Cheon stamp with “SEOUL ? DEC 04 COREE” cancellation
Photo of the minister of finance Yong-ik Lee
Eagle 1 Cheon stamp with “SEOUL 28 NOV 00 COREE” cancellation
The cabinet members who expressed their condolence to funeral of the empress Myung-sung.
Eagle 4 cheon stamp with “SEOUL 8 MAI 05 COREE” cancellation
To: Mademoiselle Grenet Insletulion St. Agnes Lucern, Suisse
Cancellation of via “SHANG-HAI 11 MAI 05 CHINA”
and arrival “LUCERNE 15 VI 05”
October 24, 2020
Writer: Young Lee