Brides Across Borders

During the summer, we asked Interns Emma, Gabrielle, Brendan and Jessica to create a virtual collection by collecting digital images of some aspect of the library collection to be decided by them. For example, they could collect images of bookplates in the collection, of details on binding, books with funny titles, or books on a particular subject – the possibilities were endless. On July 31, at the Library Open House, each collection was presented. In the coming weeks, we’ll be posting each intern’s collection along with a few other posts they created during their time in the Library.



This week’s collection comes from Gabrielle Barr who is a student at Johns Hopkins University. Gabrielle described her collection “Brides Across Borders” as follows:

"For little girls, weddings are about the flowers, cake, and most of all their dream dress. Magazines and reality TV shows emphasize this fantastical view of matrimony, and occasionally distort the true meaning of the event. As I hope this collection demonstrates, weddings have always been a fundamental component of cultures throughout time and across borders. These paintings and photographs depict not only the individual subject but also his or her society. From the ancient Egyptian couple to the modern photograph of the bride in an unusual setting, viewers can observe how the world’s perspective on marriage has changed and remained constant. The scary sculpture of the bride who holds roses in one hand and babies and reptiles in the other differs vastly from the formal portrait of Queen Victoria. In turn, the regal and religious works vary greatly from the representations of peasant weddings. This cultural discrepancy between eras, nations, and classes can give the viewer a sense of how one ritual is performed in so many different ways.

Religion and ceremonial customs play a significant role in the event as well. Marriage is frequently seen as a religious rite of passage and a transforming ceremony, especially for the bride. In the depiction of the young girl flanked by her mother and grandmother, the artist is showing the Portuguese, Jewish bride at her beddekah ( a ceremony before the wedding where the bride sits on a throne like chair surrounded by female family members and greets her guests). While fashions have changed over the years, this custom and the kettubah are still important aspects of an observant, Jewish wedding. Similarly, the religious imagery seen in many of the works display the Christian view of nuptials and include certain symbols that westerners would associate with weddings today. The depiction of the Muslim wedding procession underscores Islamic values with the woman fully cloaked beneath a litter. An Englishman captured this scene which prompts the question, “How do other societies interpret foreign ceremonies and how have the traditions merged in our connected world?” From the colorful Berber and African weddings to Hogarth’s dark criticism of the institution, weddings have always been a part of art and the human experience. "

A better view of all of the images in Gabrielle's Collection is available here.