‘Picture’ brides of Ellis Island

Approximately 12 million immigrants came through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. Many women got off the boat as single ladies, but began new lives in the U.S. as married women.

Called “picture brides,” these women were in arranged marriages with immigrant men who were seeking wives who came from their home country. After an arduous journey, they met their future husbands for the first time at Ellis Island, often marrying them there.

I waited in the cold in several lines to visit Ellis Island in January. But how can you complain when compared to what those immigrants went through?

– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief