Wedding Group c. 1852 - 1853

Benjamin Brecknell Turner made this salted paper print titled "Wedding Group" sometime in the mid-19th century. The image depicts what is most likely an upper middle class British family dressed in their finest wedding attire. Photography in England at this time was a rapidly developing technology, closely tied to Victorian social ideals. The relative wealth of the people in this photo is evident in the fact that they could afford to commission a photograph – still a relatively rare and expensive commodity at this time. The figures are carefully arranged and formally dressed according to the strict social codes of the era. The stiff posing of the subjects also speaks to the long exposure times required for early photography. These kinds of early photographs are valuable historical resources. Careful examination, along with documentary sources from the period, can tell us a great deal about Victorian social customs, class structures, and even the histories of institutions involved in the development of photography.