The article by Giovanni Bonello ‘Early weddings, fashions and wedding photography in Malta’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, September 27) gave more than just an insight to the subjects in the photos and the photographers.
What interested me most was the rooftop photo of the Manuel family’s wedding group.
The original, larger photo was taken on the roof of the palatial building on the corner of Old Mint Street and St John Street, which for many years had served as a primary school.
The building on the left in the background with a row of large windows is the rear of the Augustinian Convent in Old Mint Street. Above it, behind the uphill buildings, is the upper section of St John’s Cavalier.
As stated by Bonello, the marriage was of Joshua Whitaker, who then resided in Sicily, and Euphrosyne Manuel, eldest daughter of the late Alexander Manuel. It was celebrated on June 4, 1881, at the collegiate church of St Paul in Valletta by the Reverend E. Hardy, chaplain to government.