Victorian brides blazed new trails as everything from tight corsets to legal rights underwent reform. Of course, Queen Victoria set a few wedding trends as the influencer of her day. These spectacular wedding photos ranging from the early 1800s to early 1900s reveal a sea change in styles and attitudes toward marriage. Behind the camera, women were fighting for expanded social freedoms and equal property rights.
The following Veil-Lifting Secrets made Victorian Brides smile for the camera.
Women Embraced New Property Rights
In the early 1800s a Victorian bride might be gaining a husband but she was definitely losing her property and wages. As the 19th century progressed, that didn’t sound like a good deal to many women.
In England, the legal doctrine of Coverture stated that a man absorbed a woman’s legal identity once she uttered the words “I do.” This meant that her new husband controlled her personal property as well as any income she earned. Divorce was difficult, but easier for the man. And fathers generally had sole legal custody of children if they divorced or separated.
Things were not much better for Victorian Brides in America.
According to Weber State University, women’s rights were just a kiss away – by a few decades. America began inching toward change when New York passed its Married Women’s Property Act in 1848.
In England The Married Women’s Property Acts of 1870 and 1882 were major steps towards a married woman’s legal and financial independence.
By the late 1800s women on both sides of the Atlantic won property rights. By 1900, most U.S. states had granted married women the right to own property in their own name and rights to their own wages.
The “New Woman” Married For Love
Through the 1700s, marriages were still routinely arranged for the merging and protection of assets and to secure alliances between families or clans.
According to National Women’s History:
“While love and respect might be a byproduct of marriage, young couples had not entered into marriage with that expectation. That changed in the eighteenth century.” (National Women’s History)
With increased social mobility for the burgeoning middle class, there was a growing distaste for the idea of arranged marriages. Yes, they still happened, just as they do in parts of our world today. But it became more common for Victorian Brides to choose their own groom based on romantic connections. Many did just that, despite meddling relatives.
The strict rules of courtship loosened through the 1800s, giving Victorian Brides more choice. Along with this new mindset, men and women needed t new ways to meet and ultimately select a partner. With increasing freedoms emerging they had more opportunities to meet potential mates. Among them were bicycle outings, ice-skating and new hobbies like fern hunting that required outdoor adventures with ample opportunities to lose chaperones.
“Young women, perhaps more than young men, often enjoyed the process of courtship as it represented a time of freedom and choice. “ (National Women’s History)
Queen Victoria Demanded Love And Marriage, Setting A New Bar
While romance has been around since the beginning of humankind the Royal Influencer set a new bar for Victorian Brides. She was madly in love with Prince Albert, as evidenced by her effusive diary entries over the course of their relationship.
They were married at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace on February 10, 1840. She had been Queen for less than three years, and both were 20 years old. While all couples have their troubles, they offered a golden example of the new marital paradigm.
Victoria could ignore the usual laws and restrictions that burdened commoners. For one thing, she chose the love of her life instead of marrying strictly for political alliances. Once she decided Prince Albert was her one and only, she proposed to him. Granted, he could not propose to her because she was the reigning monarch. Even so, it was a bold move for a Queen or a commoner in any era.
Queen Victoria broke more than a few rules, setting trends throughout her long reign as queen.
Brides Ousted Traditional Styles And Dark Colors
Newspapers and Ladies’ Magazines across Europe and America published every detail of the Royal Wedding, its preparations and their married life. Victorian Brides on both sides of the Atlantic clamored to emulate Victoria’s trendsetting style.
Queen Victoria designed her own bridal outfit. Her dress remains the classic wedding dress silhouette worldwide to this day.
Summer Brennan writes in A Natural History of the Wedding Dress:
“…the slim waist, the lace, the full nineteenth-century skirt over petticoats and crinolines—is still considered the most recognizable “wedding” silhouette.” (JSTOR)
She supported English industries by engaging small local workshops to produce the various pieces.
“In place of a jeweled crown, the young royal wore a wreath of orange blossoms—a richer version of what a poor country girl might don for her own nuptials—and this further endeared the new queen to her subjects.” (JSTOR)
According to Vintage.Es Victorian Brides did not where white for much of the century the color was “too expensive and impractical without modern bleaching techniques.”
Dark blues, purples, browns, red, and gold were more practical.
Always the trendsetter, Victoria established white as the new color for Victorian Brides. Her choice remains the top pick to this day.
In truth, the color of the dress which is still in the Royal Collection is generally considered white, although the actual dress which remains in the Royal Collection), is more ivory or pale pink, but is usually described as white.
“Brides would often wear their Sunday best, as having a separate dress to wear for just one occasion was extremely impractical in a world without the mass-production of textiles we have today.” (JSTOR)
Brides Foreshadowed Social Media Photo Sharing
Even on small budgets, Victorian Brides smiled for the camera.
In its early days photography was accessible primarily to the wealthy. André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri began to change that with his patent for the carte de visite (CdV). Similar techniques were in development by several innovators, but he filed the official patent in November 1854. By 1860, his CdV became a craze dubbed Victorian Cardomania. The phenomenon of collecting and sharing small cardboard-backed photographs, swept Europe and America and 19th-century social media was born. (Victorian Cardomania Foreshadowed Social Media)
As evidenced by these many photos, brides looked great in white dresses against the dark background of the sepia or black and white photos of the day.
Brides Embraced New Ready-To-Wear Gowns
Prior to 1900 most bridal gowns were hand sewn by a family member or a dressmaker. As Victorian Brides gave way to the Edwardian era (1901 to1914), they welcomed the new century with its rapid industrial growth. Electricity, industrial sewing machines, high-tech factories and department stores gave them ready-to-wear clothing including affordable bridal gowns.
Bridal gowns still aimed for the Queen Victoria classic. But the Directoire Revival style of the late1890s offered a sleeker, more flattering silhouette. In 1908 shockingly body-hugging Sylphide dresses designed by the Margaine-Lacroix fashion house made headlines and heads turn. Developing at the same time was the more conservative “lingerie dress.” (Margaine-Lecroix Rejected Bulky Corsets)
According to the Library of Congress, the popular lingerie dress in white was affordable and it became the choice for brides and bridesmaids in the middle and lower classes.
“…major cities began advertising the ready-made ”lingerie dress” made of thin, lightweight fabrics with high neck and full sleeves, decorated in embroidery and lace.” (Library of Congress)
As the decade wore on, brides embraced narrower skirts with an A-line shape and a simpler look with less decoration.
Mail Order Brides Sought Freedom And Adventure
From the late 1800s to the early 1900s Victorian Brides of the Wild West were true trailblazers. Some followed the men that had gone ahead to stake a claim. Others were Pioneer Mail-Order Brides.
While the term conjures sordid stories, the reality was more practical with a dose of adventure.
The Postal Museum writes:
“Popular representations, cultural myths, and present-day phenomena suggest that “mail-order brides” were a sensation of the American West during the 19th century. Purportedly, lonely pioneers could purchase women through a catalog who would then become their lawfully wedded wives. This image carries with it an air of scandal…” (Postal Museum)
Yes, life was lonely on the frontier. A partner and future family to share life’s challenges could make things easier. On the side of the Victorian Brides, life as a single woman trying to support herself could be daunting. The Wild West also offered wide open spaces, hopefully without meddling relatives.
Whatever their reasons, these brides were an adventurous bunch who responded to newspaper ads or other means of introduction by mail. Personal ads often closed with the statement “Object matrimony,” followed by a mailing address.”
“Courtship could be a lengthy or short period of correspondence by mail, not unlike texting today. Pictures might be involved. Most often, plans to wed were in place before the woman made the arduous trek to the frontier. “ (Postal Museum)
More Than A Few Rejected Marriage Altogether
Not all women dreamed of becoming brides. Victorian spinster replies surprised editors of Tit-bits magazine in a competition held in 1889. Entrants had to answer the question: Why are you still single? The tsunami of irreverent responses made it impossible to choose one winner. Instead, editors published a full page of hilarious retorts. Each winner received the equivalent of approximately $25 today. (Victorian Spinsters Surprised Tit-Bits Editors)
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