This cabinet card appears to be a photograph of a wedding group. One would suspect that the bride is the woman in the white gown. She is seated and holding an umbrella. The most likely candidate for groom is the fellow standing behind the bride. The bride is certainly better dressed than the groom. For some unknown reason, the brides purse was placed on the floor in front of her. What was the photographer thinking? He did an excellent job of posing the six individuals in the wedding group and than detracts from the image by leaving the purse on the floor in the center of the photograph. This photographer has a history of making similar posing mistakes. To view an example of another one of his poorly posed photographs, click on the category “Photographer O. H. Park. Note the man sitting on the left of the bride. He is holding something that looks like a pin wheel or a small fan. Perhaps a Cabinet Card Gallery visitor can more confidently identify the object. This photograph was taken at Park’s studio in Clarinda, Iowa. Clarinda was founded in 1851. It is written that outlaw Jesse James passed through Clarinda a number of times. The town was named for Clarinda Buck. Legend states that Ms. Buck carried water to the first surveyors of the area. The name “Alice” is written on the reverse of the photograph. “Alice” is likely the name of the bride.
Alvin Eugene Leighton and Samaria Cecilia McFarland pose for their wedding portrait in the studio of O. H. Park in Clarinda, Iowa. Note the dark wedding dress. Perhaps someone can leave a comment explaining why dark wedding dresses were sometimes worn during this period in history. The Photo-beacon, a book published in 1897, considered Park to be just a mediocre portrait photographer. This cabinet card is interesting because of the appearance of the subjects and is certainly not a wonderfully posed photograph. The photographer set up the pose in such a way that the groom appears to be missing the lower part of his arm and the groom seems to be afraid to get to close to the bride. To view other photographs by Park, click on the category “Photographer: Park”. 
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 