This Turkish bride in Serbia is actually 16 years old (1919)
The bride in this photo is sixteen years old. Her hands tell the story of her true age, despite the ancient look of her face. Vranje, in the south of Serbia, was part of the Ottoman Empire for roughly 422 years, until captured by Serbian forces in 1878. Turkish influence and cultural traditions passed down through generations. One of these traditions in the early 1900s was a strict code of modesty. When dentists from the American Red Cross tried to assist in dental work for Turkish women in the region, the women cut holes through their veils because the women would not remove them. The girl in the wedding photo follows the Vrajne Turkish modesty tradition of covering her face with gilt leaf, which makes her look ancient. Once her husband removed the gold leaf, she put on a veil and wore it publicly for her lifetime.