A Gay Wedding In Philadelphia 1957

Found photos of a gay wedding in the USA decades before it was legal

These photographs of a gay wedding were deemed inappropriate by a photo shop in Philadelphia and never returned to the customer who’d dropped off the rolls of film in 1957.

 

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

 

We don’t know the names of the happy couple, the officiating cleric, the guests and who made the cake. It wasn’t until May 17, 2004 that Massachusetts became the first US state to legalize same-sex marriage. On June 26, 2015 the US Supreme Court of ruled that all states must license and recognize same-sex marriages.

 

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

 

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

 

The images were put up for sale in an online auction. The winning bidder realised their significance and donated them to ONE Archives at the USC Libraries in Los Angeles and at the Wilcox Archives in Philadelphia.

 

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

 

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

 

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

Gay wedding Philadelphia 1957

 

If you know who they are – or have other photos from gay weddings before the State legalised them – please get in touch with us or Our One Story, a great project investigating the stories behind these pictures.

Via: USC

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