White and Glamorous: Changes in 20th Century Wedding Dresses in Turkey

Abstract

With the transition to modern life, significant changes have occurred in the concept of wedding dresses worn during matrimonial ceremonies in Turkey. In Ottoman Empire, wedding dresses were preferred in the colour red and they were braided with metallic threads. White became popular when Naime Sultan (daughter of Abdulhamit II. (1876-1909)) wore the first white wedding dress in 1898. After the 1920s, traditional coloured wedding dresses have gradually been replaced with white wedding dress of Western tradition. After the introduction of commercial photography, wedding photographs have also been appreciated by the families. In this research the wedding photographs from families that live in Izmir are compiled and studied. These photos provide a rich resource of information about weddings, their attire and social attitudes. Tracing dress codes and photography offers different ways of examining the past. Photos give an opportunity to search what was fashionable and to compare the differentiation between the decades. In this research it is intended to trace the history of wedding dresses in the 20th century in Turkey. The research was carried out with the aid of the collected wedding photos and the original wedding dresses between 1920's and 1970's. © Inter-Disciplinary Press 2016. All rights reserved.