Postcard from Cobourg, Canada: Betrothed!

This week, Anne and I were privileged to be invited to a private viewing of an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Northumberland here in Cobourg, Canada. Betrothed: A Marriage of Photography and Weddings is on until Sunday 18 June, so there’s plenty of time to schedule a visit.

Betrothed: A Marriage of Photography and Weddings

Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash have been collecting authentic wedding photographs for more than 15 years and this exhibition celebrates the invention of photography, as witnessed through photographs of wedding ceremonies..

Cutting the cake!

This fascinating and unique collection, as well as showing how fashions have changed, contains examples of the various print types that form photography’s history.

Each wall of the gallery focuses on a particular theme: the dress; celebrities (such as Ringo Starr and Elizabeth Taylor); portraits; group portraits; strange and unusual weddings.

It was sad to see that so many of the smiling couples are not longer betrothed, and many of them, of course, have passed away. However, that one happy moment captured by the camera demonstrated many times over that the majority of marriages start out with the best of intentions!

In addition, there are examples of the decorations used on wedding cakes and, in true wedding breakfast tradition, a beautiful cake was ceremoniously cut and shared among those present.

So, with over 500 original photographs, this collection is a social history containing records of customs and ceremonies from around the world.

Where is the Art Gallery of Northumberland?

The Art Gallery of Northumberland is at 55 King Street West, Cobourg, Ontario K9A 2M2

When is the gallery open?

Wednesday – Friday: 10am – 4pm
Saturday: 12noon – 4pm
Sunday: 12noon – 4pm

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling. It’s the first one for this particular trip. Watch this space!