European migration to the US peaked around 1907, with more than 200,000 arriving in that year from Italy alone. Disembarking at Ellis Island many remained in New York carving out distinctive neighbourhoods marked by language, food and transplanted old-world customs, such as the Italian tradition of throwing shoes at weddings. Sloan barely delineates the background buildings so that bride, footwear and densely-packed revellers stand out from the print.