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A hope chest, also called dowry chest, cedar chest or glory box is a chest used to collect items such as clothing and household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life. The term "hope chest" or "cedar chest" is used in the midwest or south of the United States; in the United Kingdom, the term is "bottom drawer"; while "glory box" is used by women in Australia.〔 "By the turn of the () century the trousseau and the glory-box had become accepted institutions for the readers of the weekly and monthly women's magazines."〕 == Social context == Using her own needlework skills to construct a trousseau and stock her glory-box "was for the working girl the equivalent of planning and saving for marriage on the part of the provident and ambitious young man."〔 The collection of a ''trousseau'' was a common coming-of-age rite until approximately the 1950s; it was typically a step on the road to marriage between courting a man and engagement. It wasn't always collected in a special chest, hence the alternative UK term ''bottom drawer,'' which refers to putting aside one drawer in a chest of drawers for collecting the trousseau undisturbed, but such a chest was an acceptable gift for a girl approaching a marriageable age. Contents of a "hope chest" or "glory box" included typical dowry items such as clothing (especially a special dress), table linens, towels, bed linens, quilts and occasionally dishware. As a bride would typically leave home on marriage, hope chests were sometimes made with an eye to portability, albeit infrequently. Examples of hand-made items made between 1916 and 1918 for a trousseau by a prospective bride are on display in the National Museum of Australia.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/australian_journeys/gallery_highlights?result_6095_result_page=4 )〕 In this case, the trousseau - never used because its creator's fiancé was killed in World War I before the marriage took place - was stored in calico bags rather than in a chest. A 'bridal chest' was given to a bride ''at'' her wedding, by her husband, and so is not a 'hope chest' in this sense. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hope chest」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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