Civil marriage

Albert Anker was the most beloved Swiss painter of the nineteenth century — his depictions of Swiss peasant life, children, and domestic subjects achieving widespread popularity while maintaining genuine artistic quality. His 'Civil Marriage' (1887) depicts a characteristically Swiss social subject — the secular marriage ceremony that replaced or supplemented religious rites following the constitutional reforms that separated church and state in Switzerland. Anker's interest in the civil dimension of Swiss life reflected his secular liberalism and his commitment to depicting Swiss society honestly.

Anker renders the civil marriage ceremony with his characteristic combination of careful observation and warm color — the official setting, the registry office or municipal chamber, depicted with the same attention he brought to Swiss domestic interiors. His figure painting captures the individual characters of the participants — the couple, the witnesses, the official — within the formal context of the legal ceremony. His palette maintains the warm, golden quality that distinguished his work from more austere contemporaries.