content: ca. 1879-1962

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: In mourning symbolism of the nineteenth century, arches were symbolic of victory over death. Victory over death is rooted in the tenants of the Christian faith, and in the nineteenth century this concept was magnified. Death and eternity in heaven were seen as the victory of faithfulness. Symbols of victory reminded the Christian that whatever pain and suffering one may endure, they would come out on the other side into glory and heaven. In addition to symbolic shapes, references to victory were made through the “Language of Flowers” by using palm, laurel, or nasturtium. As they alluded to the reward at life’s end, set pieces in the form of victory symbols were especially suited to funerals, but they might also be used at other religious events and occasions.

content: Set pieces or set designs were among the most popular floral arrangements in the second half of the nineteenth century. The term set piece is a usually applied to designs in a wide variety of forms, which are often symbolic in character. Shapes that expressed an overall theme for an occasion were very fashionable, such as designs made to depict the profession, associations, or hobbies of an individual. These flower arrangements were ordered for special celebrations, holidays, weddings, and funerals. Typical of the Victorian style, these designs were elaborate and massive, but unlike other forms of flower arrangement, the set piece was exclusively made by the professional florist.

content: Set pieces were usually made up on wire frames in the desired shape, which acted as a foundation for the floral arrangement. Commercially produced, heavy-gaged wire frames, fabricated from either plain or copper-plated wire, became available for flower arrangements between 1860 and 1864. The retail florist business was enhanced considerably by the high demand for arrangements on flower frames in the nineteenth century, and wire frames quickly became the basis of the retail florist’s inventory. The frames could be obtained for little cost to the florist, and if he managed to retrieve the skeleton after the occasion, it could be reused. Wire frames came in both straight and curved outlines and either as a box (three-dimensional frame) or flat frame. Most designs came in several sizes and could be hung or placed on a stand or were free-standing. Standard forms in wire works catalogues ranged in size from 10 to 60 inches. Outside of the standard frame designs offered in wireworks and florist’s supplies catalogues, designs could be made for almost any occasion, with some large enough to make life-sized reproductions.

content: Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth century floral fashions changed. Some set pieces faded in popularity by the early 1900s, but some remained favorites well into the 1940’s. Many of these same designs are still used today, but the wire frames have been replaced by shapes made from more modern materials to save the florists’ time in making up the arrangement, as well as providing water to the flowers allowing for greater longevity.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: arches

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: gates

content: heaven

content: holidays

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of H. Weber & Sons Company.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire, wood

content: 24 1/2 × 17 × 9 in. (62.2 × 43.2 × 22.9 cm)

topic:
Heaven
Funerary objects
Arches
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Wire
Floral Accessories
Weddings
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Holidays
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems
Gates

content: <I>Wire frame, pearly gates, single arch</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, PEARLY GATES, SINGLE ARCH</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


unitCode: HAC

type: edanmdm

label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with faint enameling and mother of pearl handle. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of openwork scrolls and foliate forms and set with glass stones. The vase has a crown-like rim with stamped decoration. A short length of chain connects a floral pin to the base of the vase. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The stick-stem handle is made from tapered mother of pearl with a fluting and baluster shape. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

label: Label Text

content: Flowers used for personal adornment were a popular, almost mandatory, fashion accessory in the nineteenth century. Small bouquets, called nosegays, posies, or tussie mussies were carried by debutantes, matrons, and girls, and they were a popular gift in the mid to late 1800s among friends and suitors. They were typically created in concentric rings of flowers, tightly wound together, and were often tied with ribbon or placed in a bouquet holder depending on the tastes and fashions. By the 1830s carrying small bouquets of flowers in decorative holders was an established fashion accessory of the upper class and royalty of Europe. These small accessories, also known as posy holders, ‘porte-bouquets’, and ‘bouquetiers’ were both decorative as well as useful. By providing a water source in the bottom of the receptacle, they were able to keep the flowers fresh throughout an occasion, and they also protected the wearer’s gloves or clothing from being stained by the plant pigments. Queen Victoria helped popularize the bouquet holder, and she is seen holding one in her portrait “Queen Victoria at the Drury Lane Theatre, November 1837” painted by E.T. Parris. When the fashion of carrying hand bouquets in decorative holders caught the fancy of the wealthy and middle class, holders were copied and mass produced in a variety of sizes, materials, and embellishments. During the second half of the nineteenth century, holders might be commissioned or purchased from the stock at a jeweler or florist shop. Few were made in the United States, instead they were usually imported from Europe and Asia. They were often given as a commemorative memento of historic encounters or events by the royalty and courts of Europe, but they were also used to celebrate and commemorate important, though less prestigious, events of the wealthy and middle class. Bouquet holders reached the peak of their popularity between the 1830s and 1880s, but it began to dwindle as bouquets of long-stemmed flowers (the latest horticultural development) loosely tied with ribbons surpassed the posy bouquet style. They were not totally out of fashion until the “Roaring Twenties,” when such objects became regarded as trivial and useless. The diversity of styles and mechanisms of bouquet holders is evidence of their longevity as a fashion accessory.

label: Origin

content: France, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of Frances Jones Poetker.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl, paste

label: Dimensions

content: 5 × 1 in. (12.7 × 2.5 cm)

label: Style

content: Renaissance Revival

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets

type: Country

content: France

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, beads, mother of pearl handle</I>

unit_code: HAC

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, BEADS, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>

data_source: Smithsonian Gardens

type: Images

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Gilded brass bouquet holder with enamel handle. The large vase is composed of six undulating ribbons of gilded brass with stamped surface decoration and are partially enameled in green and white. At the top, each ribbon wraps around decorative elements in an “X” shaped knot. Between the ribbons, connecting to the midpoint of the vase are spiral columns. Above the columns, between two knots are holes opposite one another for a floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The vase connects to the handle with a wide band stamped with a floral bird motif. A fragment of a decoratively stamped flat-figure-8 ladder chain also attaches to the neck band that would have been connected to the floral pin. The handle is composed of enamel on copper sheet with decorative gold and silver paillons. The handle features an elaborate floral spray with pink, purple, and blue flowers with green leaves on in a white panel in the dark blue background. This design recalls eighteenth-century French porcelain patterns and is representative of the interest in historicism which characterizes much of the nineteenth-century taste. The handle is capped with a gilded brass finial with a ring attached to the bottom which would have connected a second length of chain to a ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: enamel

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded brass, enamel

content: 5 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (14 × 3.8 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Enamel
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, enameled flower handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, ENAMELED FLOWER HANDLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: It was common for social or business organizations to send flowers to the funerals of deceased members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Flowers were sent by friendly and fraternal societies, temperance leagues, social clubs, veteran’s organization, and worker’s unions, among others. The floral tributes were often set pieces patterned after the emblem of the organization or club with flowers and ribbons in their colors. Designs had to be recognizable, thus accuracy was important for the florist, each flower frame must be made to an exact shape and carefully arranged with flowers in the appropriate colors. Depending on the size of the floral recreation, elements might be added or subtracted while maintaining an accurate overall impression of the emblem. In addition to the organization’s emblem recreated on flower frames, many of their other symbols, or assemblages of multiple symbols were recreated out of wire frames for floral arrangements. Emblem set pieces were also used for organizational functions other than just funerals, such as private ceremonies or special events sponsored by the group. Organizational emblem frames often comprised a significant portion of floral frame trade catalogs. The Knights Templars are the highest Chivalric Rite within the York Rite branch of the Freemasons. York Rite Freemasonry is an American fraternal order founded in 1819. The Masonic Knights Templars’ emblem is a cross and crown within a Maltese cross. This design often included the phrase “In Hoc Signo Vinces” (In This Sign Conquer).

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 20 × 20 × 6 in. (50.8 × 50.8 × 15.2 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Secret societies
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems

content: <I>Wire frame, Knights Templar emblem</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, KNIGHTS TEMPLAR EMBLEM</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The clover flower frame could be used for a variety of purposes. Symbols of good luck, such as the horseshoe, four-leaved clover, horns of plenty, and wish-bones appeared at events such as store openings, graduations, and other celebrations. Saint Patrick’s Day also inspired floral frames such as the Irish harp, shamrock, and high hats. Though far rarer, a four-leaf clover floral frame design may appear as a center piece for dinner party.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: holidays

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 23 1/2 × 14 × 7 3/4 in. (59.7 × 35.6 × 19.7 cm)

topic:
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Societies
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Weddings
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Holidays
Wirework
Flower arrangement
Emblems

content: <I>Wire frame, four leaf clover on stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, FOUR LEAF CLOVER ON STAND</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Bouquet holder of pierced gilded brass vase with enamel handle. The large lily-shaped vase is comprised of four stamped gilded brass repeats designed with a pierced depiction of a young girl and a bird on a branch in silhouette. They are joined by two eighteenth-century style decorations joining each of the panels. A floral pin with a flat bifurcated head pin is inserted through one of the ornate joints. This would pierce the stems in a bouquet to secure the flowers in the vase. The panels of the vase are attached to the handle by four stamped panels that depict flowers and foliage alternating with four narrow vertical stampings. The straight tapered handle is made of light blue enamel on copper with silver and gold paillons in designs around the stem, which recalls the French porcelain designs produced in the eighteenth century.. The handle is capped in with a gilded brass finial stamped in two parts with three progressively smaller elements and a round-link chain and ring attached to the tip. The ring, which has small dots at the edges and large ones in the middle on the exterior, would allow the bouquet holder to be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine worn at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Origin

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: enamel

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Gilded brass, enamel

content: 6 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (16.5 × 3.8 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, woman and bird motif with enamel handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, WOMAN AND BIRD MOTIF WITH ENAMEL HANDLE</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver filigree vase with tripod base. The vase of the bouquet holder is shaped like a pentagon. The lip folds downward with gathered areas that give the illusion of a textile. Each panel is composed of delicate filigree work that has the appearance of netting. Over this is central flower with leaves protruding from its long stem. These straight panels connect to rounded-arched panels that bulge outward. Within a thicker silver rim around the panels are feathery plumes. The base is composed of solid silver leaves. Two chains extend from this point. The first connects to a pin, which would be inserted through a small hole in the vase of the bouquet holder in order to secure the posy. The second chain is connected to ring allowing the holder to be worn from the finger or attached to a chatelaine at the waist. The handle of the bouquet holder also serves as a tripod stand. Three curved panels spring out, each with a substantial foot at the end to add stability. The form of the legs recalls a blade of grass and are elaborately ornamented with curlicues and wispy silver strands. When the legs are secured together, they act a single handle for the bouquet holder.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: filigree

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

label: Dimensions

content: 7 × 2 1/2 in. (17.8 × 6.4 cm)

place: England Birmingham

topic:
Silver
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Filigree

type: City

content: Birmingham

content: England

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, tripod, scrollwork</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, TRIPOD, SCROLLWORK</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Fashioned from silver filigree and wirework, the vase of the holder opens in a tulip shape that is formed with interlacing pointed arches. Leaves surround the base of the vase where it meets the handle.Below this foliate border, a short length of chain attaches to a pin. The pin can be inserted through the spaces in the wire. By piercing the stems, this mechanism secured the flowers from falling out of the holder. The spindle handle of the bouquet holder is a straight and elaborately ornamented with scrolling over an intricately textured surface. Each register of the handle is decorated with different floral motifs and trailing vines made by relatively thick wires atop the fine filigree network. The handle is capped with a ball finial to which a second chain for a finger ring is attached. This feature would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: China, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: filigree

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: wirework

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 6 3/4 × 2 1/4 in. (17.1 × 5.7 cm)

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Fashion
Filigree
Silver
Wirework
Decoration and ornament
Victoriana
Posy holders
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets

content: China

content: <I>Bouquet holder, wire and filigree</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, WIRE AND FILIGREE</I>

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: The shallow vase of the bouquet holder is made from gilded metal. Pierced metalwork forms the base in four sections, each of which attaches at the base in a scroll. The sections of pierced vase form banderols, scrolling forms, and leafy shapes that are engraved with linear detailing and floral motifs. From the vase a pin on a chain is attached so that the flowers could be secured in the vase by inserting it and piercing the stems. The handle of the bouquet holder is shaped out of mother of pearl. The pointed shaft is carved with bands stacked on top of one another. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

content: Flowers used for personal adornment were a popular, almost mandatory, fashion accessory in the nineteenth century. Small bouquets, called nosegays, posies, or tussie mussies were carried by debutantes, matrons, and girls, and they were a popular gift in the mid to late 1800s among friends and suitors. They were typically created in concentric rings of flowers, tightly wound together, and were often tied with ribbon or placed in a bouquet holder depending on the tastes and fashions. By the 1830s carrying small bouquets of flowers in decorative holders was an established fashion accessory of the upper class and royalty of Europe. These small accessories, also known as posy holders, ‘porte-bouquets’, and ‘bouquetiers’ were both decorative as well as useful. By providing a water source in the bottom of the receptacle, they were able to keep the flowers fresh throughout an occasion, and they also protected the wearer’s gloves or clothing from being stained by the plant pigments. Queen Victoria helped popularize the bouquet holder, and she is seen holding one in her portrait “Queen Victoria at the Drury Lane Theatre, November 1837” painted by E.T. Parris. When the fashion of carrying hand bouquets in decorative holders caught the fancy of the wealthy and middle class, holders were copied and mass produced in a variety of sizes, materials, and embellishments. During the second half of the nineteenth century, holders might be commissioned or purchased from the stock at a jeweler or florist shop. Few were made in the United States, instead they were usually imported from Europe and Asia. They were often given as a commemorative memento of historic encounters or events by the royalty and courts of Europe, but they were also used to celebrate and commemorate important, though less prestigious, events of the wealthy and middle class. Bouquet holders reached the peak of their popularity between the 1830s and 1880s, but it began to dwindle as bouquets of long-stemmed flowers (the latest horticultural development) loosely tied with ribbons surpassed the posy bouquet style. They were not totally out of fashion until the “Roaring Twenties,” when such objects became regarded as trivial and useless. The diversity of styles and mechanisms of bouquet holders is evidence of their longevity as a fashion accessory.

label: Mark(s)

content: "LEBRUN"

content: France

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: gilding

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

content: 4 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (11.4 × 3.8 cm)

label: Style

content: Renaissance Revival

topic:
Gilding
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, mother of pearl handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The vase of the bouquet holder is created from interlacing heavy gilt wires. It is four-sided with a central gold loop at each side that is held in place by rings. At the center of each loop there are alternating enamel or gold flowers. The enameled flowers are designed with three clover-like petals surrounding a central coral colored bead. Around this enamel and beaded flower, similar beads are set in leafy mounts. This botanical representation created with beads and gold leaves is also present on the adjacent sides of the vase. Many of the beads are missing. The four sides are also comprised of intertwining gold wires that create spirals and curves that serve as the support, which connect the vase to the base. The bottom portion of the vase is comprised of green enamel leaves that cradle the wired portion. The handle of the bouquet holder is made of mother of pearl with a metal band around the top and bottom of the stem. These bands likely connected a chain that attached a ring and pin to the bouquet holder. Chain attached to a ring. that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials. Because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: enamel

content: gilding

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

content: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

label: On View

content: Smithsonian Institution, Quadrangle, S. Dillon Ripley Center

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of Frances Jones Poetker.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

content: 6 × 1 1/2 in. (15.2 × 3.8 cm)

content: Art Nouveau

topic:
Gilding
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Enamel
Fashion
Decoration and ornament
Victoriana
Posy holders
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

building: Quadrangle

content: <I>Bouquet holder, flower and scrolls, mother of pearl handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, FLOWER AND SCROLLS, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The harp was a popular design for funeral flower tributes in the nineteenth century. It could be free standing, hung, placed on a pillow, or within a wreath or crescent. The harp was appropriate for both men and women, the young and the old. Like the lyre flower frame, the harp represented harmony between heaven and earth, and it was a symbol of both peace and musical talent. The harp flower frames were especially popular for young and adult women due to the angelic theme. The silent harp design would be given a snapped string to indicate that the harp would play no more to exemplify the loved one silenced by death. The strings could be made from a variety of materials including flowers, wire, and fabric strips such as chenille.

content: Set pieces or set designs were among the most popular floral arrangements in the second half of the nineteenth century. The term set piece is a usually applied to designs in a wide variety of forms, which are often symbolic in character. Shapes that expressed an overall theme for an occasion were very fashionable, such as designs made to depict the profession, associations, or hobbies of an individual. These flower arrangements were ordered for special celebrations, holidays, weddings, and funerals. Typical of the Victorian style, these designs were elaborate and massive, but unlike other forms of flower arrangement, the set piece was exclusively made by the professional florist.

content: Set pieces were usually made up on wire frames in the desired shape, which acted as a foundation for the floral arrangement. Commercially produced, heavy-gaged wire frames, fabricated from either plain or copper-plated wire, became available for flower arrangements between 1860 and 1864. The retail florist business was enhanced considerably by the high demand for arrangements on flower frames in the nineteenth century, and wire frames quickly became the basis of the retail florist’s inventory. The frames could be obtained for little cost to the florist, and if he managed to retrieve the skeleton after the occasion, it could be reused. Wire frames came in both straight and curved outlines and either as a box (three-dimensional frame) or flat frame. Most designs came in several sizes and could be hung or placed on a stand or were free-standing. Standard forms in wire works catalogues ranged in size from 10 to 60 inches. Outside of the standard frame designs offered in wireworks and florist’s supplies catalogues, designs could be made for almost any occasion, with some large enough to make life-sized reproductions.

content: Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth century floral fashions changed. Some set pieces faded in popularity by the early 1900s, but some remained favorites well into the 1940’s. Many of these same designs are still used today, but the wire frames have been replaced by shapes made from more modern materials to save the florists’ time in making up the arrangement, as well as providing water to the flowers allowing for greater longevity.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: harps (chordophones)

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of H. Weber & Sons Company.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 24 × 10 1/2 × 8 in. (61 × 26.7 × 20.3 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Harps (chordophones)
Floral frames
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Weddings
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems

label: Title

content: <I>Wire frame, harp on stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, HARP ON STAND</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, harp on stand</I>


content: ca. 1874

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver plated bouquet holder with ring handle. The funnel-shaped vase has a pierced design featuring anthemion, Greek keys and braided decorations. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is convex with medallion decorations. A short length of chain connected to a ring is attached to the neck. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The handle is ring shaped with stamped banding and architectural decoration.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver-plated

content: 5 × 1 3/4 in. (12.7 × 4.4 cm)

content: Aesthetic Movement

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, crown top</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, CROWN TOP</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, crown top</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The sickle flower frame was a popular funeral tribute, and one of the more recognizable symbols of death. As such, it was not appropriate for everyone. This design was an inexpensive option for the funeral because it did not require many flowers to achieve the shape. A few sprigs of wheat were often included, as if they had just been cut by the blade. The sheaf was made of the stabilized, dried grasses known as “everlastings,” many of which were imported from Italy. The sheaf of wheat also implied a rich harvest and plenty. The concept of the harvest saw the sickle flower frame frequently combined with a sheaf of wheat. Signifying both death and the harvest-cycle, the sickle and sheaf implied self-renewal. Though cutting the stalk meant certain death, spreading the seeds from the ear guaranteed new life, making this design symbolic of death and hope. It was also symbolic of a long and fruitful life, hence the saying “ripe old age.” This design was also only suitable for the elderly because they had opportunity to create a life well-lived; whereas for those who had died in youth, such a symbol only implied what the deceased had been denied. The harvest was a popular theme for funeral sermons, and the “Harvest Hymn” was frequently sung at the funeral services for the elderly. These designs were often taken home after the funeral and framed for a lasting tribute in the home. The sickle was also a mortality symbol. It is an attribute to both Death and Time. This connection came from the European tradition and carried over to New World. Death and Time, known to destroy all things, used the sickle as one of the “weapons of death” along with the ax, bow and arrow, lance, trident, and sword. This symbol, like death, brought all things down to the same level. It could be an instrument of punishment, choosing its victims, or a blind instrument, striking indiscriminately at all living things.

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 15 1/2 × 9 × 1 in. (39.4 × 22.9 × 2.5 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems

content: <I>Wire frame, sickle</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, SICKLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Wire frame, sickle</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder with loop handle. The openwork, funnel-shaped vase is comprised of filigree leaves creating an irregular lip. Around the base of the vase are smaller filigree leaves alternating with applied flowers on long, slender stems. The handle forms a loop with foliate decorations. At the bottom of the loop, a short length of chain connects to a ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: Flowers used for personal adornment were a popular, almost mandatory, fashion accessory in the nineteenth century. Small bouquets, called nosegays, posies, or tussie mussies were carried by debutantes, matrons, and girls, and they were a popular gift in the mid to late 1800s among friends and suitors. They were typically created in concentric rings of flowers, tightly wound together, and were often tied with ribbon or placed in a bouquet holder depending on the tastes and fashions. By the 1830s carrying small bouquets of flowers in decorative holders was an established fashion accessory of the upper class and royalty of Europe. These small accessories, also known as posy holders, ‘porte-bouquets’, and ‘bouquetiers’ were both decorative as well as useful. By providing a water source in the bottom of the receptacle, they were able to keep the flowers fresh throughout an occasion, and they also protected the wearer’s gloves or clothing from being stained by the plant pigments. Queen Victoria helped popularize the bouquet holder, and she is seen holding one in her portrait “Queen Victoria at the Drury Lane Theatre, November 1837” painted by E.T. Parris. When the fashion of carrying hand bouquets in decorative holders caught the fancy of the wealthy and middle class, holders were copied and mass produced in a variety of sizes, materials, and embellishments. During the second half of the nineteenth century, holders might be commissioned or purchased from the stock at a jeweler or florist shop. Few were made in the United States, instead they were usually imported from Europe and Asia. They were often given as a commemorative memento of historic encounters or events by the royalty and courts of Europe, but they were also used to celebrate and commemorate important, though less prestigious, events of the wealthy and middle class. Bouquet holders reached the peak of their popularity between the 1830s and 1880s, but it began to dwindle as bouquets of long-stemmed flowers (the latest horticultural development) loosely tied with ribbons surpassed the posy bouquet style. They were not totally out of fashion until the “Roaring Twenties,” when such objects became regarded as trivial and useless. The diversity of styles and mechanisms of bouquet holders is evidence of their longevity as a fashion accessory.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: filigree

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 6 × 1 1/2 in. (15.2 × 3.8 cm)

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, leaf motif</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, LEAF MOTIF</I>

title: <I>Bouquet holder, leaf motif</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Stars set designs were used for a wide variety of occasions. They were often part of emblems for organizations, such as the military, and incorporated into larger arrangements. Stars were also popular at Christmas time acting as the Star of Bethlehem from the story of the nativity. In mourning iconography, a star is symbolic of wisdom and the Divine Spirit. The use of the star flower frame could be to symbolize wisdom or as more of a decorative device. The Order of the Eastern Star (OES), the women’s auxiliary of the Freemasons, used the star as its emblem and frequently had this flower frame at ceremonies and funerals of its members. Their symbol was a five-pointed star which referred to five biblical heroines – Adah, Ruth, Esther, Martha, and Electra – who achieved virtue in the five roles of a woman’s life – daughter, sister, wife, mother, and widow. Each point also symbolized the central tenets of the organization: fidelity, constancy, loyalty, faith, and love. Eastern Star Organization flower frames had one point face downward in white then green, red, blue, and yellow points arranged clockwise. The letters FATAL were sometimes applied to the points which stood for “Fairest Among Ten-thousand Altogether Lovely” as well as implying that to betray the secrets of the Eastern Star would be fatal. Flower frame designs of national symbols and emblems of the military branch of the fallen celebrated their patriotism at the funerals of active military and veterans. Often flowers the same color as the American flag were employed in arrangements, such as roses, carnations, and cornflowers to create that patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme. Nationally symbolic designs such as stars, American flags, eagles, and many other designs were also displayed in shop windows and at ceremonies for holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day. These designs remained popular into the twentieth century.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: stars

content: wire

content: armed forces

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: 24 × 12 × 12 in. (61 × 30.5 × 30.5 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Stars
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Secret societies
Weddings
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Holidays
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems
Military

content: <I>Wire frame, star on stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, STAR ON STAND</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, star on stand</I>


content: ca. 1830-1920

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilt metal bouquet holder with jewels and straight handle. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of filigree spirals set with pink stones flanked by textured columns with large plant-like capitals set with a pink stone. The straight, tapered handle has a stamped star pattern and is capped with an ornate, pierced finial. A short length of chain connected to a ring is attached to the tip of the handle. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: bouquet holders

content: Posy holders

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal

label: Dimensions

content: 5 × 1 1/4 in. (12.7 × 3.2 cm)

label: Style

content: Renaissance Revival

topic:
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, jeweled</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, JEWELED</I>

title: <I>Bouquet holder, jeweled</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Gilded brass bouquet holder with mirrors and mother of pearl handle. The vase is four-sided, two of which features a central oval mirror surrounded by beaded stamped frames above a large leaf. These alternate with smaller, oval frames that are left empty. They are connected to the base by a wire that encloses them within a teardrop shaped loop. A short length of round-link chain connected to a loop-ended floral pin attaches to one of the structural wires near the middle of the vase. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. Below, the vase attaches to the handle with six petals textured with crisscrossing lines and droops over the neck band. The tapered handle is spindle shaped, made from turned mother of pearl. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months. The shaft of the handle narrows slightly with incised rings stacked along the bottom. Near the tip of the handle a is a looped a link which would attach a chain and ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mirrors

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

content: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

label: On View

content: Smithsonian Institution, Quadrangle, S. Dillon Ripley Center

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mirror, mother of pearl

content: 6 × 1 in. (15.2 × 2.5 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl
Mirrors

content: <I>Boquet holder, mirrored, mother of pearl handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOQUET HOLDER, MIRRORED, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG


label: Date

content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Some of the most popular designs in funeral flowers in the late nineteenth century were those that appealed to the sentimentality of the period. These flower frame designs were both more decorative and more personal in their references. Sentimental designs alluded to lives cut short and the loss of cherished relationships. The Broken Column was one of the most popular and poignant symbols in floral designs and mourning iconography in the nineteenth century and was also seen in the cemetery, in mourning art, and in sentimental literature. It was symbolic of the end of life, and more specifically the unfinished work and frustrated hopes brought by a life cut short. It could be used in the funeral of a proactive figure in society to emblemize their deeds that must now go undone. It was also commonly seen at the funerals of young persons to express the frustrated hopes and broken dreams that bereaved parents felt over the loss of a child. The idea of dashed expectations by a life cut off was essential to the theme of the Broken Column. It usually ranged in height from two to six feet, and a common inscription for this design, as well as for the broken wheel, was “Broken Hopes.” As an unbroken column, the set piece had different connotations. It was used as a tribute to the lives of prominent members of the community because columns, or pillars, in architecture are essential to the structure as supporting elements and ensure the stability and strength of the whole. Therefore, it was appropriate for the pillars society to be remembered with a pillar in a flower frame. Whether broken or intact, the visual impact of this design contributed to its popularity.

label: Label Text

content: Set pieces or set designs were among the most popular floral arrangements in the second half of the nineteenth century. The term set piece is a usually applied to designs in a wide variety of forms, which are often symbolic in character. Shapes that expressed an overall theme for an occasion were very fashionable, such as designs made to depict the profession, associations, or hobbies of an individual. These flower arrangements were ordered for special celebrations, holidays, weddings, and funerals. Typical of the Victorian style, these designs were elaborate and massive, but unlike other forms of flower arrangement, the set piece was exclusively made by the professional florist.

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: columns (architectural elements)

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 36 × 13 × 13 in. (91.4 × 33 × 33 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Columns (architectural elements)
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems

content: <I>Wire frame, broken column</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, BROKEN COLUMN</I>

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Wire frame, broken column</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass(?) vase with green glass stones. In the style of the eighteenth century, the stamped metalwork creates an ornate frame for in which two oval mirrors would have been set, as well as creating the other two sides of the vase. The mirrors, sometimes called flirting mirrors, would have allowed the lady to check her face or spy on what was happening behind her. Below, green glass stones are inset into the curvaceous forms. These sides alternate with two repeats of Rococo Revival style motifs with a central green glass “gem.” A pin on a chain is attached to the vase. It would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of the bouquet to secure it in the holder. The neck is stamped with a four-dot diamond pattern and crescents on a vertical-line background and attaches the carved mother of pearl handle. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months. The shaft, which is carved with graduated rings, is missing its end. There would also likely be a chain connected to ring that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Origin

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of Frances Jones Poetker.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl, glass

content: Rococo Revival

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, jeweled, mother of pearl handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, JEWELED, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass vase with blue stones. The vase of the bouquet holder is formed with four repeating panels. Each panel is ornately designed with ‘S' and ‘C' scrolls and is ornamented with a blue paste stone that is prong-set atop a ring of circles elevating each one. It connects to the handle at a stamped band with a four-dot-and-crescent design that encircled by six small, stamped leaves drooping downward. The straight handle is made of turned mother of pearl in a deep pinkish-purple hue. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months. A golden keyhole-shaped loop around the bottom of the stem attaches to a round-link chain and decoratively stamped finger ring. This feature is most likely a later addition that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn on the finger or attached at the waist to a chatelaine.

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: brass (alloy)

content: gilding

content: mother of pearl

content: paste (glass)

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Gilded brass, mother of pearl, paste

label: Dimensions

content: 5 × 1 1/2 in. (12.7 × 3.8 cm)

label: Style

content: Renaissance Revival

topic:
Gilding
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Brass (alloy)
Fashion
Paste (glass)
Decoration and ornament
Victoriana
Posy holders
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

content: France

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, blue stones, mother of pearl</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, BLUE STONES, MOTHER OF PEARL</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: It was common for social or business organizations to send flowers to the funerals of deceased members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Flowers were sent by friendly and fraternal societies, temperance leagues, social clubs, veteran’s organization, and worker’s unions, among others. The floral tributes were often set pieces patterned after the emblem of the organization or club with flowers and ribbons in their colors. Designs had to be recognizable, thus accuracy was important for the florist, each flower frame must be made to an exact shape and carefully arranged with flowers in the appropriate colors. Depending on the size of the floral recreation, elements might be added or subtracted while maintaining an accurate overall impression of the emblem. In addition to the organization’s emblem recreated on flower frames, many of their other symbols, or assemblages of multiple symbols were recreated out of wire frames for floral arrangements. Emblem set pieces were also used for organizational functions other than just funerals, such as private ceremonies or special events sponsored by the group. Organizational emblem frames often comprised a significant portion of floral frame trade catalogs. The Independent Order of the Odd Fellows or I.O.O.F is an interantion fraternal organization which was founded in America in 1819 in Baltimore, Maryland. The basis of Odd Fellowship and the IOOF command is “Visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan.” The IOOF insignia is three links of chain with the letters F, L, and T, which stood for Friendship, Love, and Truth.

content: Set pieces were usually made up on wire frames in the desired shape, which acted as a foundation for the floral arrangement. Commercially produced, heavy-gaged wire frames, fabricated from either plain or copper-plated wire, became available for flower arrangements between 1860 and 1864. The retail florist business was enhanced considerably by the high demand for arrangements on flower frames in the nineteenth century, and wire frames quickly became the basis of the retail florist’s inventory. The frames could be obtained for little cost to the florist, and if he managed to retrieve the skeleton after the occasion, it could be reused. Wire frames came in both straight and curved outlines and either as a box (three-dimensional frame) or flat frame. Most designs came in several sizes and could be hung or placed on a stand or were free-standing. Standard forms in wire works catalogues ranged in size from 10 to 60 inches. Outside of the standard frame designs offered in wireworks and florist’s supplies catalogues, designs could be made for almost any occasion, with some large enough to make life-sized reproductions.

content: Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth century floral fashions changed. Some set pieces faded in popularity by the early 1900s, but some remained favorites well into the 1940’s. Many of these same designs are still used today, but the wire frames have been replaced by shapes made from more modern materials to save the florists’ time in making up the arrangement, as well as providing water to the flowers allowing for greater longevity.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 18 × 6 1/2 × 1 in. (45.7 × 16.5 × 2.5 cm)

content: <I>Wire frame, Odd Fellows emblem, three links</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, ODD FELLOWS EMBLEM, THREE LINKS</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass bouquet holder with enamel handle. The vase is composed of Rococo Revival style ornaments featuring two cherub heads and two eggs. From the lip two pediments stamped with a Gothic Revival motifs including a pierced trefoil design makes this bouquet holder characteristic of the disregard for accuracy in the melding of historical styles that is typical of nineteenth-century design. Near the base of the vase a round-link chain connects to a floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The neckband, which connects the vase to the handle, is stamped with floral decoration on a background of horizontal lines. The straight tapered handle is made of light blue enamel on copper with silver and gold paillons in designs around the stem, which recalls the French porcelain designs produced in the eighteenth century. The handle is capped in with a gilded brass finial stamped in two parts with three progressively smaller elements and a round-link chain and ring attached to the tip. The ring, which has small dots at the edges and large ones in the middle on the exterior, would allow the bouquet holder to be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine worn at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Label Text

content: Flowers used for personal adornment were a popular, almost mandatory, fashion accessory in the nineteenth century. Small bouquets, called nosegays, posies, or tussie mussies were carried by debutantes, matrons, and girls, and they were a popular gift in the mid to late 1800s among friends and suitors. They were typically created in concentric rings of flowers, tightly wound together, and were often tied with ribbon or placed in a bouquet holder depending on the tastes and fashions. By the 1830s carrying small bouquets of flowers in decorative holders was an established fashion accessory of the upper class and royalty of Europe. These small accessories, also known as posy holders, ‘porte-bouquets’, and ‘bouquetiers’ were both decorative as well as useful. By providing a water source in the bottom of the receptacle, they were able to keep the flowers fresh throughout an occasion, and they also protected the wearer’s gloves or clothing from being stained by the plant pigments. Queen Victoria helped popularize the bouquet holder, and she is seen holding one in her portrait “Queen Victoria at the Drury Lane Theatre, November 1837” painted by E.T. Parris. When the fashion of carrying hand bouquets in decorative holders caught the fancy of the wealthy and middle class, holders were copied and mass produced in a variety of sizes, materials, and embellishments. During the second half of the nineteenth century, holders might be commissioned or purchased from the stock at a jeweler or florist shop. Few were made in the United States, instead they were usually imported from Europe and Asia. They were often given as a commemorative memento of historic encounters or events by the royalty and courts of Europe, but they were also used to celebrate and commemorate important, though less prestigious, events of the wealthy and middle class. Bouquet holders reached the peak of their popularity between the 1830s and 1880s, but it began to dwindle as bouquets of long-stemmed flowers (the latest horticultural development) loosely tied with ribbons surpassed the posy bouquet style. They were not totally out of fashion until the “Roaring Twenties,” when such objects became regarded as trivial and useless. The diversity of styles and mechanisms of bouquet holders is evidence of their longevity as a fashion accessory.

content: France, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: enamel

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

label: On View

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded brass, enamel

content: 6 × 1 1/2 in. (15.2 × 3.8 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

exhibitionTitle: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, light blue enamel handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, LIGHT BLUE ENAMEL HANDLE</I>

label: Screen Image


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: In mourning symbolism of the nineteenth century, banners were symbolic of victory over death. Banners carry the connotation of battle flags, which carried the insignia of those in command and served as a rallying point. Victory over death is rooted in the tenants of the Christian faith, and in the nineteenth century this concept was magnified. Death and eternity in heaven were seen as the victory of faithfulness. Symbols of victory reminded the Christian that whatever pain and suffering one may endure, they would come out on the other side into glory and heaven. In addition to symbolic shapes, references to victory were made through the “Language of Flowers” by using palm, laurel, or nasturtium. As they alluded to the reward at life’s end, set pieces in the form of victory symbols were especially suited to funerals, but they might also be used at other religious events and occasions. Additionally, as an emblem of battle, the banner flower frame was also suited to the funerals of active military and veterans. Flower frame designs of national symbols and emblems of the military branch of the fallen celebrated their patriotism. Often flowers the same color as the American flag were employed in arrangements, such as roses, carnations, and cornflowers to create the patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme. Nationally symbolic designs such as banners, American flags, eagles, and many other designs were also displayed in shop windows and at ceremonies for holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day. These designs remained popular into the twentieth century.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: armed forces

content: associations

content: banners

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: gonfalons

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of H. Weber & Sons Company.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 53 × 26 × 13 1/2 in. (134.6 × 66 × 34.3 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Banners
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Gonfalons
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Secret societies
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems
Military

content: <I>Wire frame, banner on stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, BANNER ON STAND</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Wire frame, banner on stand</I>


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Porcelain and gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The funnel-shaped vase is composed of porcelain with enamel decoration in bands. The design, which recalls the French porcelain designs produced in the eighteenth century, alternates between black with green and white with floral friezes with a ring of silver beading between each layer. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is composed of gilded metal with applied leaves. A short length of chain connects a floral pin to the lower neck. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The spindle handle is made from turned mother of pearl. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months. A second length of broken chain, which would have connected to a ring, is attached to loop around the tip of the handle. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Origin

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mother of pearl

content: porcelain

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Porcelain, mother of pearl

label: Dimensions

content: 7 1/4 × 3 in. (18.4 × 7.6 cm)

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porcelain
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, porcelain vase, mother of pearl handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, PORCELAIN VASE, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with looped handle. The openwork vase features a design of large rose blossoms that are fully opened along with leaves with stippled texture on the surface. Three large yellow stones are situated around the top of the vase with rope settings. Two acanthus leaves form the stem of the handle into a cornucopia laden with grapes, which connects to a large oblong ring. The ring is comprised of a large ‘C’ scroll joined by an acanthus leaf and was stamped in two parts. Attached to the loop is short length of chain connected to ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Label Text

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of Frances Jones Poetker.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal

content: 5 1/4 × 2 1/4 in. (13.3 × 5.7 cm)

content: Naturalism

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets

content: Birmingham

content: England

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, rose motif with yellow stones</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, ROSE MOTIF WITH YELLOW STONES</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal carnet-de-bal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The vase is formed in two tiers from a pierced screen comprised of stamped, small flowers connected by linear elements. Two textured-metal cords twisted around each other are applied to the lip of each tier. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is formed by stacked smooth bands with a loop attachment for a chain and floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The spindle handle is made from turned mother of pearl. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months. Near the bottom, a band encircles the handle and connects a flat figure-8 ladder chain ending in twisted finger ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. Attached to the back of the bouquet holder is a small sheath for a pencil and five ivory panels behind a pierced metal cover. The owner could write the names of her upcoming partners for the dances at a ball on the ivory plaques making this a “carnet-de-bal” – meaning “dance card” – and bouquet holder in one.

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: dance cards

content: ivory

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

content: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

label: On View

content: Smithsonian Institution, Quadrangle, S. Dillon Ripley Center

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, ivory, mother of pearl

content: 6 × 1 1/2 in. (15.2 × 3.8 cm)

content: Renaissance Revival

topic:
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Fashion
Decoration and ornament
Victoriana
Ivory
Dance cards
Posy holders
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

content: <I>Bouquet holder, carnet-de-bal</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, CARNET-DE-BAL</I>

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, carnet-de-bal</I>


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The tulip-shaped vase is comprised of five feathers, which flare outwards at the top. The straight handle has two stamped repeats of a flattened-leaf design and is capped with a leaf finial. A round-link chain is attached near the top of the handle connected to ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver plated

content: 6 × 1 3/4 in. (15.2 × 4.4 cm)

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, feather motif</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, FEATHER MOTIF</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, feather motif</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: It was common for social or business organizations to send flowers to the funerals of deceased members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Flowers were sent by friendly and fraternal societies, temperance leagues, social clubs, veteran’s organization, and worker’s unions, among others. The floral tributes were often set pieces patterned after the emblem of the organization or club with flowers and ribbons in their colors. Designs had to be recognizable, thus accuracy was important for the florist, each flower frame must be made to an exact shape and carefully arranged with flowers in the appropriate colors. Depending on the size of the floral recreation, elements might be added or subtracted while maintaining an accurate overall impression of the emblem. In addition to the organization’s emblem recreated on flower frames, many of their other symbols, or assemblages of multiple symbols were recreated out of wire frames for floral arrangements. Emblem set pieces were also used for organizational functions other than just funerals, such as private ceremonies or special events sponsored by the group. Organizational emblem frames often comprised a significant portion of floral frame trade catalogs. Freemason emblems were the most frequently ordered flower frame designs from the florist. Freemasonry is the oldest and most influential fraternal society in the United States. Also known as the Masons, this society came to the United States in 1720, and many of America’s founding fathers were brothers in this fraternity. The mid-nineteenth-century Mason could also belong to many different auxiliary organizations such as the Knights Templars, the Shriners, and the Order of the Eastern Star each of which had flower frames representing their insignia. It was also the largest fraternal body in America and remains so to this day. The primary emblem of the Masons was the square and compass, said to be symbolic of the interaction between mind and matter, inside of which is the letter G, symbolic of either God or geometry. Additional designs for the Masonic ceremonies and funerals included the Maltese cross, Keystone, Masonic Bible, banner, and scroll of honor.

content: Set pieces or set designs were among the most popular floral arrangements in the second half of the nineteenth century. The term set piece is a usually applied to designs in a wide variety of forms, which are often symbolic in character. Shapes that expressed an overall theme for an occasion were very fashionable, such as designs made to depict the profession, associations, or hobbies of an individual. These flower arrangements were ordered for special celebrations, holidays, weddings, and funerals. Typical of the Victorian style, these designs were elaborate and massive, but unlike other forms of flower arrangement, the set piece was exclusively made by the professional florist.

content: Set pieces were usually made up on wire frames in the desired shape, which acted as a foundation for the floral arrangement. Commercially produced, heavy-gaged wire frames, fabricated from either plain or copper-plated wire, became available for flower arrangements between 1860 and 1864. The retail florist business was enhanced considerably by the high demand for arrangements on flower frames in the nineteenth century, and wire frames quickly became the basis of the retail florist’s inventory. The frames could be obtained for little cost to the florist, and if he managed to retrieve the skeleton after the occasion, it could be reused. Wire frames came in both straight and curved outlines and either as a box (three-dimensional frame) or flat frame. Most designs came in several sizes and could be hung or placed on a stand or were free-standing. Standard forms in wire works catalogues ranged in size from 10 to 60 inches. Outside of the standard frame designs offered in wireworks and florist’s supplies catalogues, designs could be made for almost any occasion, with some large enough to make life-sized reproductions.

content: Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth century floral fashions changed. Some set pieces faded in popularity by the early 1900s, but some remained favorites well into the 1940’s. Many of these same designs are still used today, but the wire frames have been replaced by shapes made from more modern materials to save the florists’ time in making up the arrangement, as well as providing water to the flowers allowing for greater longevity.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 30 × 14 × 7 in. (76.2 × 35.6 × 17.8 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Secret societies
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems

content: <I>Wire frame, Masonic emblem on stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, MASONIC EMBLEM ON STAND</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Some of the most popular designs in funeral flowers in the late nineteenth century were those that appealed to the sentimentality of the period. These flower frame designs were both more decorative and more personal in their references. Shapes alluded to lives cut short and the loss of cherished relationships. The Broken Wheel or wheel with a missing spoke design was symbolic of broken family or community ties. The missing spoke on the wheel signified the missing member or family or organization. The wheel on its own was a symbol of eternity, progress, and continuation, but as the broken wheel can no longer turn, this design stated their journey was over. This mourning iconography was also seen in mourning art and in the cemetery. It was also suited to professionals in the railroad and transportation industry.

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wheels

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 20 × 20 × 1 in. (50.8 × 50.8 × 2.5 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Wheels
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Secret societies
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems

label: Title

content: <I>Wire frame, broken wheel</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, BROKEN WHEEL</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

title: <I>Wire frame, broken wheel</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The Cross was one of the most frequently used floral frames in the nineteenth century, and it continues to be used today. Crosses could be large or small, and were free-standing, placed on a stand or placed on top of the coffin. Crosses were also commonly combined with other floral frames, such as a crown or star. This set design was popular for religious celebrations, holidays, weddings, and funerals. Dating back to early Christianity, the cross was often used as a standard and became the chief emblem of the Christian faith. For the funeral, the cross was suitable for all ages and genders depending on the color and flowers used. Inscriptions for the cross design were meant to both proclaim the faith of the deceased and provide comfort for the bereaved, such as “We Look Beyond the Cross,” “No Cross, No Crown,” and “Simply to Thy Cross I Cling.” These phrases often evoked the comfort of popular hymns and were reminders to have faith, hope, and trust in the Lord. Cross arrangements were also popular for church holidays and other special occasions. From the late nineteenth century to 1950, Easter was the single biggest holiday for floral designs, especially the cross set piece. A cross of callas or Easter lilies became an essential decoration for the church, as well as many homes and shop windows for the holiday, a custom which is still followed today.

content: crosses (objects)

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of H. Weber & Sons Company.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 44 × 18 × 12 in. (111.8 × 45.7 × 30.5 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Crosses (objects)
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Secret societies
Weddings
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Holidays
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Emblems

content: <I>Wire frame, cross & star center on stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, CROSS & STAR CENTER ON STAND</I>

label: Screen Image


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Short cup atop of a slim stick-stem handle. The gilt vase is formed from interlocking rings and curvaceous bands with applied leaves. The rings have a smooth polished surface that is offset by the texture of the bands. A pin on a chain is connected to the bottom of the vase that can be inserted through holes in the sides to secure the flowers in the bouquet holder. A ring on a chain is also attached that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The turned mother of pearl handle that tapers toward the end in a spindle. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials. Because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

content: Flowers used for personal adornment were a popular, almost mandatory, fashion accessory in the nineteenth century. Small bouquets, called nosegays, posies, or tussie mussies were carried by debutantes, matrons, and girls, and they were a popular gift in the mid to late 1800s among friends and suitors. They were typically created in concentric rings of flowers, tightly wound together, and were often tied with ribbon or placed in a bouquet holder depending on the tastes and fashions. By the 1830s carrying small bouquets of flowers in decorative holders was an established fashion accessory of the upper class and royalty of Europe. These small accessories, also known as posy holders, ‘porte-bouquets’, and ‘bouquetiers’ were both decorative as well as useful. By providing a water source in the bottom of the receptacle, they were able to keep the flowers fresh throughout an occasion, and they also protected the wearer’s gloves or clothing from being stained by the plant pigments. Queen Victoria helped popularize the bouquet holder, and she is seen holding one in her portrait “Queen Victoria at the Drury Lane Theatre, November 1837” painted by E.T. Parris. When the fashion of carrying hand bouquets in decorative holders caught the fancy of the wealthy and middle class, holders were copied and mass produced in a variety of sizes, materials, and embellishments. During the second half of the nineteenth century, holders might be commissioned or purchased from the stock at a jeweler or florist shop. Few were made in the United States, instead they were usually imported from Europe and Asia. They were often given as a commemorative memento of historic encounters or events by the royalty and courts of Europe, but they were also used to celebrate and commemorate important, though less prestigious, events of the wealthy and middle class. Bouquet holders reached the peak of their popularity between the 1830s and 1880s, but it began to dwindle as bouquets of long-stemmed flowers (the latest horticultural development) loosely tied with ribbons surpassed the posy bouquet style. They were not totally out of fashion until the “Roaring Twenties,” when such objects became regarded as trivial and useless. The diversity of styles and mechanisms of bouquet holders is evidence of their longevity as a fashion accessory.

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: gilding

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of Frances Jones Poetker.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

content: 6 × 2 in. (15.2 × 5.1 cm)

label: Style

content: Renaissance Revival

topic:
Gilding
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

content: <I>Bouquet holder, rings, mother of pearl handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, RINGS, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: It was common for social or business organizations to send flowers to the funerals of deceased members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Flowers were sent by friendly and fraternal societies, temperance leagues, social clubs, veteran’s organization, and worker’s unions, among others. The floral tributes were often set pieces patterned after the emblem of the organization or club with flowers and ribbons in their colors. Designs had to be recognizable, thus accuracy was important for the florist, each flower frame must be made to an exact shape and carefully arranged with flowers in the appropriate colors. Depending on the size of the floral recreation, elements might be added or subtracted while maintaining an accurate overall impression of the emblem. In addition to the organization’s emblem recreated on flower frames, many of their other symbols, or assemblages of multiple symbols were recreated out of wire frames for floral arrangements. Emblem set pieces were also used for organizational functions other than just funerals, such as private ceremonies or special events sponsored by the group. Organizational emblem frames often comprised a significant portion of floral frame trade catalogs. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, commonly known as the Scottish Rite is a branch of the Freemasons that offers progressive degrees after one has achieved the status of Master Mason. It was brought to America in 1767. The emblem of the Scottish Rite features the two-headed eagle.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Donated in memory of Harald Sletwold.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 20 × 19 × 1 in. (50.8 × 48.3 × 2.5 cm)

content: <I>Wire frame, Scottish Rite, double eagle</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, SCOTTISH RITE, DOUBLE EAGLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The funnel-shaped vase is formed of an intricate network of pierced plume-like leaves. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is a hemispherical shape acting as a cap for the top of the bell-shaped vase. Attached to the join below this is a round-link chain that is connected to a simple ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The handle is hexagonal with panels stamped with a column of foliate motifs facing in alternating directions. A large-ball finial completes the design.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Silver

content: 6 1/2 × 2 in. (16.5 × 5.1 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

topic:
Silver
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, plumes</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, PLUMES</I>

title: <I>Bouquet holder, plumes</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Posy Holder, Flower Motif Cast silver holder with top formed of reptilian like roping and flowers and leaves. Handle in same reptilian pattern with leaves closing it. Chain with ring. The looped, or rat-tail, handle is made from a single sheet stamped with a scaly pattern produced by seven encircled dots. The handle terminates with a tiny stamped flower. There is also a ring near the bottom for attachment of chain, but it is missing. The chain would connect to a pin to secure the flowers in place, or a finger ring that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine in order to free the lady's hands while dancing. identical scaly pattern as handles 1980.026 and FJP.1987.015, 169, 179, 237; FJP.1987.003 4/16/18 C. Grissom - 2) plain loop handle ending in a flower-decorated plaquette; an oval ring loose around the handle onto which a round-link chain is looped ending in a plain finger ring, plaquette on the handle same as on the vases of 169, 179 Birmingham, Great Britain: group 2

content: Birmingham, Great Britain: group 2

label: Label Text

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Medium

content: Copper

label: Dimensions

content: 5 × 1 1/2 in. (12.7 × 3.8 cm)

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, scaly surface pattern</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, SCALY SURFACE PATTERN</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The openwork vase is comprised of large, spade-shaped leaves and tiny flowers. A short length of chain connects a floral pin to the base of the vase. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is hourglass-shaped with deep cast forms. A second length of chain connected to a ring is attached to the lower portion of the neck. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The curved handle is made from turned mother of pearl with a silver ring around it near the tip. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

label: Mark(s)

content: Country of Origin: Eagle (Germany)

content: Rating: “13”/16 (.812 silver)

content: Aachen, Frankfurt, Heilbrun, Lubeck

content: Germany

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver, mother of pearl

content: 4 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (12.1 × 3.8 cm)

content: Naturalism

topic:
Silver
Tussie-mussies
Porte-fleurs
Decoration and ornament
Bouquet holders
Costume accessories
Victoriana
Posy holders
Fashion
Bouquetiers
Porte-bouquets
Mother of pearl

content: Germany

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, leaf motif, mother of pearl handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, LEAF MOTIF, MOTHER OF PEARL HANDLE</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The funnel-shaped vase features a pierced Gothic Revival design with pointed arches, strapwork, and floral medallions. A short length of chain connects a ring to the base of the vase. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The straight, octagonal handle has vertical beaded decoration and is capped with a diamond shaped finial with architectural details. This design is typical of the Gothic Revival style and interest in historicism in the nineteenth century.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 5 × 1 3/4 in. (12.7 × 4.4 cm)

label: Style

content: Gothic Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, Gothic arches</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, GOTHIC ARCHES</I>

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, Gothic arches</I>


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Gilded brass, glass, and bone bouquet holder. The large funnel shaped vase is comprised of gilt brass and ivory tubes that have been dyed red. The top is ornately stamped with Rococo Revival style pierced motifs, which were popular in the nineteenth century. Crown-like settings are applied at the center of alternating panels, some of which are mounted with white glass paste stones. A short chain connected to a floral pin attaches to the bottom of the vase. The pin would be inserted through the middle of the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The handle is from carved bone with a leaf and blossom motif and a curved end.

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

content: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

label: On View

content: Smithsonian Institution, Quadrangle, S. Dillon Ripley Center

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded brass, glass, bone

content: 7 × 2 in. (17.8 × 5.1 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

content: <I>Bouquet holder, rhinestones, bone handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, RHINESTONES, BONE HANDLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image