It Was the Custom Then to Bring Away the Bride From Home 1885

Will Hicock Low created this watercolor painting, "It Was the Custom Then to Bring Away the Bride From Home." Here, the artist revives the symbolic gestures of ancient Greek wedding processions. Torches are held aloft, meant to light the way for the bride’s passage to her new home, while floral wreaths and garlands, symbols of fertility and renewal, adorn the participants. We observe the bride veiled, a motif that speaks to modesty, but also to the gravity of transition and the unknown future. Consider how the torch, initially a simple instrument for dispelling darkness, evolves into a potent symbol of enlightenment, inspiration, and the guiding spirit. From the ancient rites of Hecate to its modern representation of liberty, the torch is charged with cultural memory. The subconscious echoes of these symbols resonate deeply, triggering ancestral memories of rites of passage. These non-linear evolutions illuminate the cyclical progression of symbols, highlighting their capacity for continual reinvention across generations.