Since the beginning of the 20th century, photography has been used to immortalize events in family life, including marriage. Expensive, photos were much rarer than today. This could explain why old photos always seem a bit frozen with tense faces. Nevertheless, they are witnesses of the past and give many indications on the life of our ancestors. The details of the dress, the lace, the height of the hems, the presence of a hat or a veil are precious clues that you have to know how to decipher.
To find out how to find information from the wedding photos of our ancestors, Sidonie Bonnec receives Marie Odile Mergnac. Historian and genealogist, she is the author of the book Photos and objects from yesterday’s weddings, find them, identify them, understand them at Archives & Culture.