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”.
ATTRACTIVE COUPLE WEDS IN CLARINDA, IOWA
THE WEDDING PARTY: PHOTOGRAPHED IN BLOOMER, WISCONSIN
This Cabinet Card is an image of a bride and groom and their wedding party. This photograph is a bit unusual because most wedding cabinet cards include the bride and groom without any other people at the wedding. The wedding appears to be quite fancy as corsages abound and everyone is formally dressed. Note that the bride is wearing a dark wedding dress. This photograph is from the studio of J. Lodgaard of Bloomer, Wisconsin. The town of Bloomer was named after a wealthy merchant named Bloomer. In 1848 he had selected the area to build a mill and a dam. He didn’t stick around very long and sold his property during construction. The town was settled in 1855.
CHILD BRIDE AND CHILD GROOM IN NEW YORK
What an interesting image! The subjects of this Cabinet Card photograph appear to be a young girl and boy dressed as bride and groom. Another possibility is that this may be a photograph of two midgets, perhaps from a traveling show. My guess is that judging by their appearance, these are children and probably siblings as they seem to show a family resemblance to each other. What do you think? The photographer is F Donahue of Hornellsville, New York. Hornellsville is in Steuben County, New York and is near the Pennsylvania border. Check out the comments left concerning this cabinet card. Knowledgeable visitors recognized this photograph as a portrait of a “Tom Thumb Wedding”. Click on the category of “Tom Thumb Wedding” to see other examples.