Wedding Wednesday - 1905 - 1910 Couple from Milwaukee, WI

This first photograph features an unidentified  newly wedded couple in Milwaukee dated probably between 1905 - 1910.  In this photo the bride is standing next to the groom who is seated in a chair.  She is quite lovely in her white satin gown.  There are so many interesting details to this dress, the high neck, the sleeves which are poufy on the upper arms and fitted at the lower, and the trimmed tiers on the skirt.  Her headdress and white rose bouquet are quite simple and beautiful as well.  Her groom is very dashing in his dark suit and he sports a matching boutonniere.  I can see a ring on his right hand, but not on his left.  She has a small brooch at her neck.

What was interesting to me when I purchased this photograph was that it came with a second photo - one of the bride and her maid-of-honor which could possibly be her sister judging by their facial features.  In this photo the bride is seated and the other woman is standing.  The bride's pose gives us a better glimpse of her dress especially the lovely ruching detail of her sleeves and bodice.  In this photo you can see that she too is wearing a ring on her right hand. The second woman's dress is also white with many ruffles.  Her neckline is lower and she is wearing a pearl necklace.  She also appears to be wearing white gloves and is holding a large bouquet of white roses which may be the bride's.   I find the facial expressions on all the subjects quite interesting.  I know it was quite common for photographers to shoot their subjects sans smiles or with little expression, but these people almost seem bored.  I find the pictures striking however, especially with the starkness of the white dresses against the dark backgrounds.

The photographers were Gumerman & Gardner located at 412 National Ave. in Milwaukee. Gumerman was Johan Georg Gumerman born 10 Sep 1882 in Oberwarmensteinach, Bayern, Germany.  He changed his name to George at some point after emigrating to the U.S. and on 16 May 1905 in Milwaukee he married Amanda Mary Jubeck (1885 - 1979).  He operated a photography studio with George Gardner as early as 1905, but they moved to the 412 National Ave. address probably about 1906.  Gumerman died in Milwaukee, WI on 15 Oct 1962.  I no luck finding any  information on George Gardner as there are too many listings in that name on Ancestry.com for Milwaukee.