Sketch for ‘The Bride’s Burial’ c. 1859

Editor: This is George Adolphus Storey’s ‘Sketch for ‘The Bride’s Burial’’. It’s a watercolor piece, and it feels so heavy, like a scene from a tragic play. What’s your interpretation of this somber procession? Curator: It feels like a memory, doesn't it? A half-remembered dream, rendered in watercolor. I see the pallbearers and their expressions suggesting a quiet sorrow, but also an otherworldly patience. The red cloak almost feels like a splash of blood, or perhaps a desperate attempt to inject life into a scene steeped in loss. Does the face of the bride have any emotion, any last gasp? Editor: Now that you mention it, she looks almost peaceful, resigned, maybe? I hadn’t noticed that before. Curator: Perhaps Storey's showing us that even in tragedy, there can be a strange sort of beauty, a quiet acceptance. Editor: That makes me see it differently, thank you!