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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Karen McDonald on Wednesday 18 February 26 09:49 GMT (UK)

Title: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Karen McDonald on Wednesday 18 February 26 09:49 GMT (UK)
Hi everybody,

I don't need this photo cleaned or dated.  ;D
I would, however, be grateful for opinions as to whether it might have been a wedding photo. My grandparents married in 1932, when he was 22 and she was 19.

If they didn't have a big white wedding, might these have been their wedding outfits?

Thanks,
Karen
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Treetotal on Saturday 21 February 26 14:04 GMT (UK)
Hi Karen...
It could be, Not everyone wore traditional wedding attire, they just wore their Sunday Best outfits which are more practical and serviceable.
Carol
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: fiddlerslass on Saturday 21 February 26 14:24 GMT (UK)
Did they have a registry office wedding?

I would have expected them to have a buttonhole flower or corsage if it was a wedding. Perhaps it is the engagement?
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Treetotal on Saturday 21 February 26 15:19 GMT (UK)
Yes I thought about that too, my Grandparent's got married in a Register Office, and looking at their photo, They are both nicely dressed but no sign of flowers, but they were married late in the year.
She wore a pretty blouse with a skirt with a frill round the bottom, Grandad wore a three piece suit with am Albert watch chain.
They looked lovely but they were not very well off and they both came from big working class Families.
They are not smiling either.
Carol
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: BumbleB on Saturday 21 February 26 15:47 GMT (UK)
OH and I married in August, 1964 in a Register Office.  No flowers, but I did wear a hat  ::) ::) and both of us wore a suit.

My parents married in 1933, in church, but not the full wedding regalia - she wore a dress (not the traditional wedding dress) and hat, and my father wore a 3-piece suit.  Both wore button-holes, as did the best man and bridesmaid.
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: louisa maud on Saturday 21 February 26 17:21 GMT (UK)
You are just a step ahead of us on anniversaries Bumble, 29th August 1964.

LM
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: BumbleB on Saturday 21 February 26 17:41 GMT (UK)
Don't want to take over this thread, but - LM.  We met in early 1964 in lodgings, got thrown out one night by the others for having a newspaper fight, so went to the pub.  Continued during weekdays, then I got my sailing date as I was emigrating to NZ.  "Don't go to NZ, come to London with me and we'll get married."  So I did that and we'v been together ever since.  :-*
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: louisa maud on Saturday 21 February 26 18:02 GMT (UK)
A lovely story.

I think over the years people have married in either what they could afford or what they preferred,  most of my aunts, long gone had white wedding dresses  but nothing like you see now, I imagine my grandparents didn't but as always they  chose what they could afford, I was talking to our plumber  yesterday who told us his friends wedding  recently cost over 60K, i said " I hope she  was worth it  "
 
Nice photo KM.

LM
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Karen McDonald on Wednesday 25 February 26 09:22 GMT (UK)
Hi everybody,

After days of being shut out due to "Database Error", I am back in! Yay!  ;D
Thanks for all the replies.

Firstly, that's a good point re: flowers/buttonhole. Maybe it was their engagement photo.
(It is a lovely photo, isn't it? :))
The wedding was in a Register Office.

As for the other comments: I was born in 1964.  ;D

Thanks again!
Karen

Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: J.J. on Thursday 26 February 26 20:39 GMT (UK)
  Certainly could have been their wedding photo... A simple wedding is a smart way to begin life together! She's proudly wearing her lovely long faux pearls and looks very comfortable in her stylish cloche hat. At his young age, the suit may even have been borrowed unless he needed to wear one for work. Lovely image of the couple, no matter what the occasion! Large weddings certainly don't make the marriage, do they?
   I remember a co-worker from 40 plus yrs ago, who bragged that from their huge wedding on the weekend they were gifted a home from the parents...and furniture and other homey comforts from friends & family (& on & on...)  They were separated 3 months later...
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Karen McDonald on Thursday 26 February 26 22:11 GMT (UK)
You are right - a big wedding is no guarantee of success!  ;D

I do like the photo.  :)
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Treetotal on Friday 27 February 26 13:32 GMT (UK)
There was a great depression in the 1930s so there wouldn't have been much money around. They could have borrowed or hired the outfits for the occasion.

Carol
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Karen McDonald on Saturday 28 February 26 16:23 GMT (UK)
There was a great depression in the 1930s so there wouldn't have been much money around. They could have borrowed or hired the outfits for the occasion.

Carol

Very true!
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Rena on Saturday 28 February 26 16:52 GMT (UK)
For all we know the couple might have destroyed their copy of the wedding photograph because it wasn't to their liking.  Having said that, I think this lovely Studio Photograph was what was fashionable in that area of the UK in that time frame.

I surfed and this is what came up:-

"Wedding photography in the UK in 1932 was characterized by formal, staged studio portraits, often capturing the high fashion and elegance of the era, frequently with a focus on, but not exclusive to, the affluent "Society" weddings. "

Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: BushInn1746 on Saturday 28 February 26 23:02 GMT (UK)
Don't want to take over this thread, but - LM.  We met in early 1964 in lodgings, got thrown out one night by the others for having a newspaper fight, so went to the pub.  Continued during weekdays, then I got my sailing date as I was emigrating to NZ.  "Don't go to NZ, come to London with me and we'll get married."  So I did that and we'v been together ever since.  :-*

Hi BumbleB

From what I can remember as a boy in the late 1960s about NZ, was Mum being offered New Zealand Lamb in the Butchers, when she wanted British Lamb and sawdust on the floor, etc.

So if one of my early recollections of NZ came true for you, you would have ended up on a sheep farm counting sheep and married to a sheep farmer  :)

 ----------

Regarding the photo, that could of been their Marriage Outfits, or a Going Away Outfit.

The Photographer at Weddings I went to was sometimes asked if he wished to join the Reception or return later.

I have been to a lot of Weddings as a young man and the couple appeared at the Reception to greet Guests and for the Meal, Cards read, then the Cake was cut and the Couple briefly disappeared and came back to the Reception about teatime wearing their Going Away Outfits, to say good bye, then we would move chairs and tables to the side and some of us danced away the evening until within an hour of closing time or up to Music Licence time.

Some of the Evenings our local pop band would play, 3 guitarists, drummer etc.

Mark
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: J.J. on Sunday 01 March 26 02:41 GMT (UK)
   Yeah, we can only speculate, really.  Wondering, Karen...Was this photo professionally mounted & backed??  If not, I'm wondering if perhaps they might have had a friend with, or even owned their own camera! They were pretty cheap in those days!  I'm no photo expert, but my Mum was an avid photograper and she had a super old brownie from that era & an even older pocket camera as well (with the wee bellows that flipped out) A great deal of our early family photos were taken on those!!!
   Also, Karen...wondering...What is the size of the actual image, as I see it is very long on the landscape end compared to the usual formats? Hard to get a good idea with the distortions & cut off corners.
   *Modifying & adding to the above, as it just occurred to me:
 Of course one mustn't rule out that the registrar may also been the photographer (with a 116 roll film.
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Karen McDonald on Monday 02 March 26 21:19 GMT (UK)
@J.J.

I'll have to ask my brother. He has the photo.  :)
Title: Re: Wedding atire, 1932
Post by: Karen McDonald on Tuesday 17 March 26 11:49 GMT (UK)
Hi everybody,

Now that I can finally get back into RC, I'll fill you in on some details.  ;D

The photo is 12.5 x 8 cm and is in postcard format. The name of the photography studio is clearly visible on the back.

Most importantly, there is a date on the back - one year before Nan & Grandad were married. So I think we can assume that this was probably their engagement photo.

All the best,
Karen