Does Not Illustrate: Arranged Marriage

Marriage à-la-mode is a well-known satirical commentary on Arranged Marriage, but I'm not sure if this picture is illustrative without context.

I certainly don't get the trope from it.

I always wondered why that image was up.

I really wish that painting was a good illustration for this page. It isn't though. It's not heinously bad or doing any harm, at least.

What about this◊? They don't look like they want to be anywhere near each other.

That occasion looks way too formal for them to actually show emotions.

Also, with that skirt, it's not like they can...

edited 22nd Jun '12 7:40:40 PM by Feather7603

At least it has a clear marriage in it, even if we can't tell it's arranged unless we just are fans of Marie Antoinette...

It's better, but not what I'd call page pic quality...I'd be fine with this one not having a pic unless we get a slam-dunk example.

So no image then?

I'd say the image in post 6 is acceptable. Not great, but certainly Keep Until Better Image Suggested material.

I don't think it is better than nothing.

I agree, it's not at all illustrative of the trope. That said, I don't have a better suggestion unfortunately.

Okay, here's some other options:

EDIT: Having a devil of a time finding a way to contact the blog author without joining her site or Facebooking the blog, and no time to research further right now. If someone else can take care of it, that'd be great.

• This cartoon◊ taken from here...I'll be contacting the blogger shortly to seek permission, as I think it's fantastic.
• The first and last panels of this◊.

edited 17th Jul '12 4:13:09 PM by Willbyr

Yeah, that first image is nice.

Would asking permission in the page comments work? Looks like they allow anonymous commenting. Don't know if that'd be checked, though.

That's my concern as well.

EDIT: For better or worse, I left a post on the blog...hopefully she responds soon.

edited 18th Jul '12 4:12:30 AM by Willbyr

the blogger replied, but I don't think it's her image, actually. The post you linked to is from 2011, and I found posts from as early as 2008 with the image. Still don't know the original source, though. I'll try to look some more, but anyway, I don't think permission is hers to give.

edited 19th Jul '12 8:46:19 AM by bananasloth

Unless there's a note on the website it came from saying not to use without permission shouldn't it be okay?

See Fair Use — if we want to use an entire image, the default is that we aren't allowed. Artists can waive this and let us use it.

Dammit dammit dammit...I was really hoping that was her pic.

At this point, I'm about ready to say that the blog's permission is good enough to run with this pic, as I can't find a site that actually seems to be the source for it, but I can find a bunch of sites about arranged marriage that use it. Do it, or just go without?

Do it. There are a couple images that are just everywhere so we've tried to find the source and can't. They're still on the wiki, and if/when someone finds the source or someone complains, permission can be asked for.

I have a several of objections to the one in #6:

First, there's nothing to indicate that they're married. They could be simply a couple of people who know each other leading out the dance at a ball.

Second, there's no indication that someone else arranged for them to be paired.

Third, (and I admit that this is a history-wonk objection) the neutrality of expression both of them are showing is completely in keeping with the obvious formality of the event and the time period and social class they clearly belong to. They could be madly in love and they'd still both keep their expression carefully neutral in that circumstance.

I'd prefer to see the page imageless rather than have that one. The Hogarth is no better as an illustration of the trope.

Yeah, given the other people's clothing, I'd think of a dance (=many people) vs. a marriage (=two people).