The wedding party in this cabinet card portrait is unusual in its diversity. The young woman at lower right appears to have Down syndrome, while the little boy at the front of the group is of mixed-race ancestry. Oddly, the bride’s face is completely obscured by her veil, making her unrecognizable. She sits at the center of the group but remains forever hidden from view. Was it her choice to hide, or was she following convention?
I bought the portrait from a dealer in West Sussex, England, but the card has no photographer’s marks or writing on the back to indicate where it might have originated.
Two other photos on the blog which provide examples of racial diversity in Victorian England are School dog and her charges (UK) and Diverse group of schoolgirls in Victorian London.
Tokens of Companionship 
Interesting that ALL the bridesmaids are wearing the stylish “fringe” (bangs)! What a great mystery about the bride!
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Email me a higher res copy of this and I’ll try to pick out the bride’s face for you. It’s partly hidden by the veil, but not completely – quite a lot of this is just faded.
I’m wondering if the reason she is veiled is because the wedding hasn’t yet happened. I am not sure but think there is or was a tradition of not uncovering the face until after the wedding vows have been said.
Yes, that girl does look like she has Downs Syndrome.
The girls clothes look like they are hand-made, the skirt waists are very strange!
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Great observations, Val. I love how everyone notices different things in a complex image like this one. I’ll send you a scan later today, after I shovel some snow. Happy New Year!
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Thanks, and you.
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WOW! Amazing. You can’t successfully dispute a photo like this.
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This family was remarkably inclusive for the time. I think people with Down syndrome were usually hidden from view. I never see portraits of them. The racial diversity is also intriguing. I wonder if the boy was adopted.
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