Wedding of Therese Harb and Elias Giacaman, c.1955

These images were taken at the marriage of Therese (George Harb's sister) and Elias Giacaman in c.1955. Weddings in Bethlehem used to be large affairs, sometimes with up to 500 guests. This wedding took place in the mid to late 1950s, as indicated by style of dress. Women's fashions were defined by narrow and soft shoulders, a tight bodice which would pull in the natural waist or shape it slightly higher and a very full or a tight sheath skirt. Men wore suits that dropped straight to the hip hitting around mid-thigh. Most suits were single-breasted with long, wide lapels, and fastened up the front with two or three buttons sitting low, exposing a long necktie.

One man in the second photo wears a tarbush, a close fitting cone shaped hat often made from felt. This style of hat emerged during the late Ottoman period in Eastern-Mediterranean regions and was usually worn by Muslim men. The tarbush continued to be worn into the twentieth century.

These images are part of the George Harb Photos collection, within the George Harb project of the Planet Bethlehem Archive.