Queen Victoria’s Wedding Dress, 1840

Contrary to popular belief, Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding gown was not the sole origin of the white wedding dress, but her white silk satin gown with an eighteen-foot-long court train pictured here did help popularize the bridal “look” that persists today. Elizabeth Tyler, like many women across the British Empire and beyond, would likely have seen and perhaps been inspired by Victoria’s English-made wedding ensemble.