Marriage represents one of the most ancient of social institutions. As the stage manager in Act II from Thornton Wilder's famous American play, "Our Town" reminds us, "Almost everybody in the world gets married, you know what I mean? In our town there aren't hardly any exceptions. Most everybody in the world climbs into their graves married." These words, originally penned by Wilder in 1938, could well apply to the time frame of the wedding pictures in this exhibit. The aim here is to bring to viewers the black and white photography that marked a special event in the lives of couples from the Bangor area ranging from 1883-1959. Whenever possible, the major preference rested with historical photographs that showed only the bride and groom. In a few cases, shots of the wedding party were integrated into the exhibit if an exclusive image of the bride and groom remained unavailable. This collection, when taken as a whole, signifies important changes in wedding fashions, especially in regard to women. Posted July 28, 2015.
