The artwork directly confronts the bitter reality of arranged marriages in 19th-century Imperial Russia. It highlights the custom where impoverished families forced their young daughters into marriage with wealthy, elderly officials to secure money and social status.
On the far right, standing with crossed arms and gazing at the scene with profound sorrow, Pukirev painted himself as the best man (shafer). Art historians believe the bride was modeled after his real-life lover, Praskovya Varentsova, who was forced to marry an older, wealthy man.
A faint, elderly woman wearing a bridal wreath can be seen lurking just behind the groom. A widely accepted theory suggests she represents the ghost of the old man’s deceased first wife, watching over the tragic fate that now awaits the young bride.