This wedding dress is INSANE.
I’ve been looking up wedding traditions and examples of wedding gowns from different eras, and I stumbled upon this dress. It is a wedding gown from 1759, displayed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. You can see it full-size (for better embroidery detail) here.
I mean holy crap. I know architectural skirt styles and bustles were really popular, but this is a bustle gone berzerk! I have no idea how this bride would have fit through a doorway. And PS-why is her head covered with a bag? I know that the modern-day veil is a remnant of the custom of bride kidnapping (wherein the bride’s head is covered by a sack until she is married so that the prospective groom cannot call off the wedding on the basis of the bride’s appearance). THAT is why the marriage officiant really says “now you may kiss the bride” and the groom lifts up the veil. Back in the day he would have been taking the sack off your head and seen your face for the first time. This mannequin may be wearing a sack in place of a veil. But did brides still wear sacks in the 18th century? This mannequin suggests yes. At least her sack is artful. I do fear for her air supply, though. I wish the website gave more information about the dress, but all they have is the date and the place it is displayed.
When I went to Amsterdam in 2007, I went to the Rijksmuseum but we arrived about an hour or so before closing so we had to rush around and we didn’t really have the time to enjoy ourselves. I definitely did not have the opportunity to see any clothing on display. I was with two boys. :-(
My most distinct memory is reading a painting description that talked about the placement of wedding rings, how they differed from today, and thus how you could tell that the subject of the specific painting I was looking at had been married. Also the museum was under construction so half of the displays were closed. I think it’s still under construction, actually. Jeez, get your shit together, Rijksmuseum.
<3 stef
