Ambrotype wedding portrait, probably Cheltenham, ca.1850-1860

Ambrotype wedding portrait of the couple George and Hannah Taylor who married on 14 October 1856 in Cheltenham.

The couple are both seated. Hannah Taylor, on the viewer’s left, sits facing the camera but looks away from the photographer, to the right. She wears a bonnet with an attached, opaque veil, edged with lace. The bonnet is decorated with small flowers. She wears a dark blouse with voluminous sleeves, over a light-coloured, patterned skirt. She holds both hands in her lap, her right hand placed on top of her left to show her wedding band on her ring finger. George Taylor, on the viewer’s right faces slightly towards the left side of the image, his body facing towards his new wife and his gaze away from the photographer. He places his left arm around Hannah Taylor, his hand visible on her left shoulder through her veil. His right hand is placed on his right leg. He wears a suit jacket, a button-down shirt, beneath a button-down waistcoat, and pinstripe trousers. He also has a cravat that has been tied into a bow, and appears to be wearing gloves.

Given by Pamela Wilkins

The ambrotype is an early wedding portrait of the couple George and Hannah Taylor (née Pratley) who were married on 14 October 1856 in Cheltenham. It is thought to be one of the earliest known wedding photographs. The story behind the female sitter, Hannah Pratley (1832-?), provides an interesting narrative to the photograph. Before her marriage to George Taylor (1832-?), she was found guilty of the murder of her baby after giving birth. The father of the child was believed to have been a married man. He hung himself after the baby was born.

E.686-2014