The bridal chest

Before the appearance of wardrobes in the 17th century, chests were the only pieces of furniture for storing linen in the countryside. This piece of furniture could be offered by the father to his daughter so that she could put away her meticulously made up trousseau before her wedding: clothes, sheets and household linen. It could thus constitute all or part of the dowry.

The wedding globe is another object closely linked to the development of women’s lives in the 19th century. Normally offered by the bride’s godmother, this case was decorated with symbolic decorations around the engagement, fertility, prosperity and happiness of the union. It became the repository of ornaments for the different stages of a woman’s life: the wreath or brooch of orange blossoms for engagement, then for the bride, then for the baptism or communion of the children.