[Portrait of possibly Miles J. Barnum & Susan (Mangold) Barnum.]

This carte de visite is thought to be the wedding photograph of Miles and Susan (Mangold) Barnum. Susan's costume certainly looks like a wedding dress, especially with the veil down her back. Its thought her dress isn't actually white, but perhaps some light color or possibly a shade of blue that appears almost white in 19th Century photographs. Most women were married in their best dress, or if they had a new dress made, it remained their best dress for years to come. While white dresses may have been the ideal by this time they would not be very practical and evidence indicates they weren't an option for most women. Wedding photos were often taken as long as a year after the wedding, depending on where they lived and availability of a photographer. They were rarely if ever taken on the day of the wedding since it was too big a production to include on such a special and busy day. In this case, however, the photographer was very available, being the bride's older brother. It would have been only a short trip by train to DuQuoin for a photograph or if the Anna studio was still in operation (despite not appearing on this backmark), the photograph could have been made within a few days of the wedding.

During these earlier years of photography many brides had their picture taken without their veil since they generally included a garland of fresh flowers which would be long withered by the time the picture was taken.

Carte de visite on albumen paper, circa 1865, Imprint: City Gallery, Mangold & Cochran, Proprietors, DuQuoin, Ill., North-East cor. Main & Division Sts. [AJB:8]