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The search for love was so different than it is today
ILong before Tinder and other dating apps became popular, people used local media to search for love. Marriage advertising was a big deal in the Victorian era, and it became more popular in the mid-19th century as an effective means of obtaining spouses. Because this aspect of the court relied on the press, it was an unusual requirement for the court that the Victorians had to gradually adopt.
Marriage announcements varied depending on the type of spouse each person was looking for. People included relevant details about themselves such as age, job, and the qualities they wanted in a partner. However, early advertisements did not contain images.
While some ads were poetic and quite detailed, others were short and sweet. The central goal of each writer was directed towards the same goal: to attract a life partner.
In 1850, The London newspaper started including letters from readers who were looking for spouses and it became very popular. In the “Notice to correspondents” periodicals section, answers have been provided to readers’ fundamental questions, particularly love issues. It was particularly aimed at people from working class and lower middle class backgrounds.
Marriage announcements began with men looking for women in specific areas, alongside special requirements that were usually listed. However, around the turn of the 20th century, women also began to post personal ads and search for men they wanted to build their lives with.
The announcements were non-restrictive and open to everyone, regardless of their status. Young men and women, widows and widowers, rich and poor, and parents with or without children were all allowed to be part of the process.
These advertisements were mostly contained in local tabloids such as Matrimonial chroniclethe Matrimonial news and the Marriage Herald.
Back then, dating and marriage requirements were quite simple, as people had simpler wants and needs. If a suitor had land, a fine house, and agriculture, he was pretty much eligible and fixed for life.
Some suitors got more creative and wrote eye-catching ads. For example, an eighteen-year-old man once said that he had a “good teeth” and expressed his desire to buy bread and butter, hoop and waterfall skirts for any lady who would accept him as a husband.
In a short time, many people started to embrace the idea of marriage announcements. Economic and personal compatibility then became necessary conditions that were taken into account when applying. People also mentioned qualities they wanted in potential spouses, as well as personal traits.
At this point, editors were faced with the larger task of printing out individual profiles and matching them with other letters that appeared in the magazine.
An editor once removed the ad provision, but was forced to resign after the magazine’s popularity plummeted due to this singular act. Readers pleaded for the section to be reinstated so they could continue to advertise love.
Once again the letters resumed and people continued to divulge their interests in finding a spouse. As the advertisements grew, more and more newspaper sections were devoted to them. This also came with financial disclosures.
A woman named Pollie H once wrote that:
She doesn’t think she’s pretty; but has £300 a year and hopes to find a reasonable, good-natured husband who likes to laugh and have fun.
Over time, new considerations were introduced and the subject of religion became an important requirement.
the Marriage News was established in 1870 and was the first newspaper devoted to advertisements for lonely hearts. At that time, it cost six pence to place a marriage ad containing 40 words.
Naturally, there were those traditionalists who objected to the idea of wedding announcements. This class of people saw it as a classless, undignified and dangerous way to have a spouse. Their conclusion was that well-disposed people considered it a wasteful act. For them, throwing out information in the hope of attracting a wife was common only among men of dissolute character.
bow bells, a popular magazine, said it would never attempt to run marriage announcements. According to them, such acts were accompanied by various forms of deceit and dishonesty. The magazine’s owners also explained that with this form of advertising, both sexes tended to lie about their financial status, while women were prone to using corsets and makeup to alter their actual appearance.
Although the marriage announcement process was a welcome development, it came with unique sets of problems. As it grew in popularity, more acts of misrepresentation were recorded. Unfortunately, it was not completely safe because there were also fraudsters, thieves and even murderers who sent in their applications.
The scammers also used it as an opportunity to prey on the vulnerability of those looking for companionship and love. While some people defrauded future spouses, others made deals they blatantly refused to keep.
A man known as Mr Harding once sent $40 to a fictitious person Mrs Steadman to join him in Nebraska. She never showed up.
the Red Barn Murder The case also gave a bad example of a marriage announcement gone wrong when it was discovered after the wedding that a Mr. William Corder had murdered her last lover and hid his body in a barn. Corder was later tried, convicted, and executed for his crime.
The history of marriage publicity is full of different experiences. and although romance advertising took on a new form, the trend was one that brought many love seekers together.
