Antonina and Ignacy Rau

Antonina and Ignacy Rau, Michorzewo, 9 November 1921. Antonina and Ignacy Rau lived in Poznan. Antonina worked in the metal works of Hipolit Cegielski. They were married in November 1921. The beautiful photograph shows members of both families, as well as neighbours and friends. Note the bride's black dress. In some parts of Poland (including Kashubia) in the 20th century a bride could still appear in a black dress, and this was not a bad omen. The reason for this was practical - brides went to the wedding in what they had in their bosom. This meant dresses in dark colours such as black, green or shades of blue. And because photographic techniques were quite modest in those days, these colours were rendered as dark or even black in the photographs. In wealthy rural families, as the ethnographer Teodor Gulgowski noted, the groom would buy his future wife a black silk wedding dress and the bride a black shawl. Also the same colour.