This wedding dress of the early 20th century belonged to Yevdokiya Skripneva (1894–1974). She lived in the village of Seltso near Gorodets in a well-off peasant family. The wedding took place before the October revolution of 1917: Yevdokiya married a fellow villager, carpenter Alexander Skripnev. The bride had a good dowry, and every townswoman felt jealous of her wedding dress. The dress went with white knitted stockings and knitted gloves. In 2011, Yevdokiya Semyonovna’s wedding dress was donated to the museum by one of her granddaughters.
Even though the bride was a village peasant by origin, the wedding dress was made in the urban style. It is completely different from the traditional Russian dress, for it was sewn according to European standards. The bride chose a delicate pastel color for it.
Many modern brides think that the white color of the wedding dress is one of the oldest traditions. However, the custom of marrying in white is not so ancient by historical standards — it is less than 200 years old. Of course, there were precedents before, but they were rather out of the ordinary. The white color was not always considered festive. People in Europe got married mainly in red or green for centuries, while white was considered the color of mourning and sorrow. That is why the European queens in mourning were nicknamed White Ladies.
The breakthrough in wedding fashion took place in 1840 due to the most outstanding wedding of Queen Victoria of England and Duke Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Victoria’s luxurious dress was adorned with snow-white orange flowers with the five and a half meters long train. The photos from this ceremony were published in the press, and many brides throughout England began to style themselves after their queen.
Unlike nowadays, wedding dresses back then could be worn several times throughout life. Even Queen Victoria has attended other events dressed in hers. Only when white became a popular color choice for wedding dresses, it took on a new meaning, symbolizing purity, innocence, and wealth. In addition, white was considered to look good in early black and white photography.
Even though the bride was a village peasant by origin, the wedding dress was made in the urban style. It is completely different from the traditional Russian dress, for it was sewn according to European standards. The bride chose a delicate pastel color for it.
Many modern brides think that the white color of the wedding dress is one of the oldest traditions. However, the custom of marrying in white is not so ancient by historical standards — it is less than 200 years old. Of course, there were precedents before, but they were rather out of the ordinary. The white color was not always considered festive. People in Europe got married mainly in red or green for centuries, while white was considered the color of mourning and sorrow. That is why the European queens in mourning were nicknamed White Ladies.
The breakthrough in wedding fashion took place in 1840 due to the most outstanding wedding of Queen Victoria of England and Duke Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Victoria’s luxurious dress was adorned with snow-white orange flowers with the five and a half meters long train. The photos from this ceremony were published in the press, and many brides throughout England began to style themselves after their queen.
Unlike nowadays, wedding dresses back then could be worn several times throughout life. Even Queen Victoria has attended other events dressed in hers. Only when white became a popular color choice for wedding dresses, it took on a new meaning, symbolizing purity, innocence, and wealth. In addition, white was considered to look good in early black and white photography.
