Shadow box with wedding memorabilia, Rib Mountain, Marathon County, Wisconsin, ca. 1890.

It’s June, a time of year when many of you may be attending weddings … or perhaps getting married yourselves. Many women at the turn of the 20th century preserved and displayed mementoes from their weddings in shadowbox frames, and, judging from some Google searching, this craft remains popular today. 

This shadow box from the Marathon County Historical Society in Wausau, Wisconsin contains a photo portrait of the bride and groom as well as the veil and wax flower headpiece the bride wears in the photograph. The identity of the couple is somewhat unclear. According to historical society records, the pair is “Mr. and Mrs. Gritzmacher of Rib Mountain.” However the donor of the object noted that it came from the mother of Dorothy and Irene Warner, which would suggest the couple is Herman and Lena Warner, who lived in Rib Mountain and Wausau.

via: Marathon County Historical Society by way of Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database