Wedding Portrait of Alice Roosevelt Longworth

This portrait photograph of Alice Roosevelt Longworth in her wedding ensemble was taken by Edward S. Curtis around February 19, 1906. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt and Alice Lee Roosevelt, married Nicholas Longworth in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on February 17, 1906. Longworth, a member of the House of Representatives from Ohio, would eventually serve as Speaker of the House during his career. Alice’s wedding gown was made of American materials: a pure white heavy satin foundation with corded satin along the seams. Rare old point lace trimmings on the bodice and sleeves were embellished by clusters of orange blossoms. A four-yard court train in white brocade satin in a lily pattern trailed behind the bride. In an attempt to make sure Alice’s gown could not be copied, the loom cards used to create the brocade weaving pattern were destroyed when the fabric was completed.