Tuesday, November 26, 2013

"If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life …"

Another unidentified wedding portrait from the steamer trunk.

5 Velvet sleeves
(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of E.H.


On the basis of the photographer, and the style of the bride's sleeves, we can date this to the 1890s.

Her dress has an interesting mixture of good and bad. The velvet on the upper sleeves drapes gracefully, and the satin ribbon, gathered and pinned in cascades down her bodice, with little echoes at her wrists, is an imaginative touch. But I wonder if they put that ribbon there to draw attention away from the poor fit of the bodice — excess fabric toward her shoulders, heavy wrinkling toward her waist. And for a special-occasion outfit, her skirt is remarkably plain, which makes it classic and timeless, I suppose, but in women's clothing at that time, "highly fashionable" was a more sought-after quality.

No comments: