A ketubbah (“writ”) is a pre-nuptual contract that specifies many of a groom’s obligations to his bride in the event of divorce or the death of the husband. Rooted in ancient traditions, the ketubbah, the purpose of which is to protect a woman’s interests, was for much of its history a genuine contract, the specifics of which could be modified for individual relationships; eventually, though, the formula of the ketubbah was standardized.  

The simple floral decorative scheme of this document is typical of the Sephardi community of Bordeaux. Beneath the text, the groom has signed his name in Latin characters, a common feature in Sephardi ketubbot of Western Europe. However, neither the signature of the groom nor the fact that he uses local, not Hebrew letters, are traditional. Both are evidence of the acculturation of the Sephardic community in late pre-revolutionary France.