content: Arts and Crafts (1880-1920)

content: Silver bouquet holder with funnel-shaped vase and straight handle. The vase is composed of six stamped leaves with raised veins on a textured surface. Near the top, two holes opposite one another are present 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. Four stamped acanthus leaves form the base of the vase and meet the polished sphere neck, which connects the vase to the handle. The cylindrical handle is long and straight with an engraved, textured leaf entwined around the shaft that extends to the bottom of the vase. It terminates with a cap formed by six petals. A curb chain attaches a double-rimmed ring to the end of the holder 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.

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: 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

content: 6 × 1 1/4 in. (15.2 × 3.2 cm)

content: Arts and Crafts

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, leaf motif</I>

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image

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


unitCode: HAC

type: edanmdm

label: Date

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver bouquet holder with cone shape. The holder has etched designs and a vertical, walled rim. A short length of chain connects a T-shaped floral pin to the side of the lip. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. At the tip of the holder is a ring that probably would have attached to a second chain.

label: Label Text

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

label: Credit Line

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Silver

label: Dimensions

content: 5 1/4 × 1 1/4 in. (13.3 × 3.2 cm)

label: Style

content: Aesthetic Movement

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

label: Title

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

unit_code: HAC

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

data_source: Smithsonian Gardens

type: Images

label: High-resolution TIFF

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass and agate (?) bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The vase is formed from four panels of curving wires around two oval frames stamped with a flower and leaf design. Alternating sides of the vase are inlaid in the frames are marbled oval “agates” or glass given the appearance of an agate stone with stamped leaves below. This type of agate is associated with Scotland. On the opposite sides, are large leaves surrounded by vines. Near the bottom of the vase is a round link chain ending in a looped-head 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. Six petals textured with crosshatched lines attach to the smooth neck band joining the vase to the handle. 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 is a band encircling the handle that connects a short length of chain attached 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: 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: 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 brass, agate(?), marbled glass, mother of pearl

content: 6 1/4 × 1 1/4 in. (15.9 × 3.2 cm)

content: Aesthetic Movement

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

building: Quadrangle

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


label: Date

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder with tripod base. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of intricate filigree within vertical and horizontal panels. A large oval medallion is applied near the top of the vase. The rim of the vase is adorned with applied loops of dangling wire. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is decorated with filigree leaves alternating with applied silver flowers on long, slender stems. The handle of the bouquet holder also serves as a tripod stand. This would allow the bouquet holder to act as a free-standing table or mantle ornament. Three curved panels with stamped flowers in a geometric, diamond pattern spring out, each with a foot at the end to add stability. The when the legs were secured together, they acted as a straight, stem handle for the bouquet holder.

label: Label Text

label: Origin

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

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

type: Country

content: England

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

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

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, filigree, tripod</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass bouquet holder with enamel and beads with a mother of pearl handle. The vase is comprised to four sides in two alternating designs that are partially enameled with blue, white, and black. One of the designs features a large, oval medallion stamped with ornate decoration and bejeweled with small, red and turquoise, glass “gems” at four points around a larger, central red-glass faceted stone. Each medallion has a thin, twisted wire encircling it and rests on a large shell ornament. Attached to one of the medallions is a short length of round-link chain connected to a loop-ended 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 alternate designs of the vase feature a teardrop-shaped, twisted wire surrounding a four-pronged ornament of acanthus leaves and spheres. The four sides of the vase rest on pair of textured shells resting on the neck band that connects the vase to the handle. The spindle handle is made from turned mother of pearl, and the tip has broken off. This bouquet holder is representative of the taste for historical motifs that were popular in the nineteenth century.

label: Topic

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

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Gilded brass, mother of pearl

content: 5 × 1 in. (12.7 × 2.5 cm)

content: Renaissance Revival

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

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


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.

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: symbols

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 15 × 13 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (38.1 × 34.3 × 34.3 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

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

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


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The vase is formed with an openwork design of curlicues, leaves, scrolls, and floral motifs. Along the top and bottom of the vase is an openwork band of stylized leaves done in broader fashion than the floral work. The handle is mother of pearl which flattens out at the base and is carved in the shape of a flower with its leaves. 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: Great Britain, 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

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

content: 5 1/2 × 1 3/4 in. (14 × 4.4 cm)

label: Style

content: Aesthetic Movement

content: Great Britain

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Copper bouquet holder with ivory(?) handle. The conical vase is formed from a sheet of stamped copper in a flower and leaf design. Remnants of red, green, blue, and periwinkle enameling is present in the outlines. Near the base of the vase a short length of 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 spindle handle composed of turned ivory. Near the end a ring around the handle connects to 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.

label: Label Text

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

label: On View

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Copper, ivory or bone (?)

content: 5 3/4 × 2 1/4 in. (14.6 × 5.7 cm)

content: Renaissance Revival

exhibitionTitle: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

content: <I>Bouquet holder, highlighted flower motif, ivory handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, HIGHLIGHTED FLOWER MOTIF, IVORY HANDLE</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver funnel-shaped vase with curved handle. The vase of the bouquet holder is designed with multiple pierced design motifs. Braided designs, stylized flowers, organic foliate forms and small panels engraved with foliage intermingle to create the vase. The undulating lip of the bowl is dotted applied silver beads. A chain connecting a floral pin is attached to the bowl that can be inserted through the vase. The pin would pierce the flowers, thus securing them in the bouquet holder. The handle of the bouquet holder loops up in a what is called a “rat-tail” handle and ends with a miniature flower-decorated plaquette. It is decorated with leaves and a textured surface that end at the base of the bowl. A chain connected to a ring is attached at the handle. This ring allowed the bouquet holder to be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine that was worn at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: Flowers used for personal adornment were a popular fashion accessory throughout the 1800s up to the mid-1900s. Carrying or wearing fresh flowers was an important aspect of not only fashion but of good breeding and refined tastes. Corsages worn by women and boutonnieres worn by men were essential elements of dress for the tasteful upper- and middle-class Americans and Europeans at social functions. Many wore flowers whenever they were in public, including President McKinley, who wore a carnation in his lapel every day. In 1840, Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV of the Great Britain and Hanover, introduced the fashion of tucking a small posy into a high waistband or sash, and Queen Victoria popularized the bouquet holder as seen in her portrait at the opera painted by E.T. Parris in 1838. By the 1830s carrying and wearing 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. Some had a pin or clip attachment that allowed it to be worn on the clothing. These bouquet holders were usually light weight, so not to strain the garment. Similar holders were made for men to attach to their lapels and are often referred to as a boutonniere vase. Bouquet 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: Birmingham, England, possibly

label: Topic

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

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 4 3/4 × 2 in. (12.1 × 5.1 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, flower motif, looped handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, FLOWER MOTIF, LOOPED HANDLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The casket cover appeared in many forms, such as a blanket, a pall, a double spray, a scarf, a cross, or a garland. The floral casket cover arrangements were meant to be one of the most impressive designs in the funeral setting. Designs often called for more than one hundred individual flowers; and thus, were expensive. Casket covers made entirely of greenery such as smilax and fern, were less expensive for individuals who still wanted the effect for less money. The wire foundation was shaped to the size and shape of the casket lid and flowers were applied, or florists could use wire mesh or netting for a foundation for the design.

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: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 29 1/2 × 18 × 3 in. (74.9 × 45.7 × 7.6 cm)

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

label: Title

content: <I>Wire frame, casket cover piece</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, CASKET COVER PIECE</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, casket cover piece</I>


label: Date

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded and enameled sheet-brass bouquet holder with enamel handle. The vase is composed of four repeats of several decorative curvilinear and rectilinear motifs stamped into the sheet brass and is partially enameled in pink and white. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is stamped with horizontal rings. A flat figure-8 ladder chain soldered to the head of floral pin is looped through a hole in the band. 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 handle is made of turquoise enamel on copper sheet with silver paillons. This design recalls French porcelain of the eighteenth century and appealed to the nineteenth century tastes, which favored historicism. The handle is capped with a three-tiered, gilded-brass finial. Each section of the finial gets progressively smaller and is stamped with decorative elements. A chain connected to ring attaches to the bottom of the finial. 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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded brass, enamel

content: 5 1/4 × 1 1/2 in. (13.3 × 3.8 cm)

label: Style

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, enamel on vase and handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, ENAMEL ON VASE AND HANDLE</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


content: ca. 1894-1958

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: In mourning symbolism, symbols of rest and peace became popular and consoling options. A popular flower frame design for funerals that alluded to rest was the Star and Crescent. The star, when together with the crescent, was symbolic of the sleep of a pure and innocent soul. As such, this design was specifically suited to infants, but it appeared at funerals of all ages and genders. Symbols such as this were popular because they create a sense of comfort by implying the loved one is at rest from the struggles of daily life. Both the star and the crescent also appeared separately or with other symbols in funeral tributes.

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.

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.

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: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 16 × 16 × 2 in. (40.6 × 40.6 × 5.1 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
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

content: <I>Wire frame, crescent & star</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, CRESCENT & STAR</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, crescent & star</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: 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: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 25 × 19 × 1 in. (63.5 × 48.3 × 2.5 cm)

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

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Cast-iron arborette in the form of a tree trunk with cut branch protrusions. Growing up the sides of the trunk are ivy vines, ferns, and flowers. This decorative garden accessory is in the Rustic style. Rustic style was immensely popular in the Victorian era, and the height of its popularity occurred between 1840 and 1890. Rustic objects share a common aesthetic of being artfully assembled with materials harvested directly from nature to create a variety of furnishings and decorative objects for the home and garden. Rustic furnishings and accessories were thought to be especially suited to the garden, as they blended in with the natural landscapes. Rustic materials and motifs include tree branches, twigs, roots, burls, bark, pinecones, acorns, seashells, animal horns, and antlers. Rustic designs were often constructed from found objects or were cast or carved to appear like these articles. Rustic objects were usually irregular and asymmetrical to mimic the forms that would occur in nature. Rustic designs could be made following instructions in contemporary publications, but the popularity of the style led to the mass production of Rustic style pieces.

content: Arborettes were rustic planters for the Victorian home or garden that were mass produced and sold through catalogs and in floral stores. Irish-English dictionaries of the nineteenth century define the word “arborette” as a “little branch, in twig,” which is likely the source of the name for these planters. They were usually cast in iron or terra-cotta to resemble an oak tree having just had its projecting limbs clipped and ranged in size from 1 to 3 feet high. These little tree trunks often appeared to be moss-covered and were painted in colors that would harmonize with the plants growing in and around them. Arborettes often had multiple cavities disguised as branches or knots which held the earth and strong growing ferns or bulbs. These planters were used both in and out of doors. Books and magazines suggested these planters be used to decorate a hall, parlor, or conservatory, or to be placed on a shaded table of an outdoor lawn. They were popular features for rockeries, parterres, lawns, balconies, halls, libraries, and other rooms.

content: Arborettes

content: cast iron

content: Arborettes

content: Garden ornaments and furniture

content: gardening

content: pedestals

content: planters (containers)

content: Rustic

content: trees

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Arborettes

content: Cast iron

content: Overall: 33 in. (83.8 cm)

content: Bottom: 21 in. (53.3 cm)

content: Top: 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm)

content: Rustic

topic:
Trees
Planters (containers)
Cast iron
Gardening
Rustic
Arborettes
Gardens
Pedestals
Furnishings

content: <I>Arborette, with branch holes</I>

title_sort: <I>ARBORETTE, WITH BRANCH HOLES</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Arborette, with branch holes</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The floral spray became the most popular sympathy tribute in the early twentieth century. These hand-tied bunches of flowers were generally made with a dozen of the same type of flower and finished with a bow. Many florists preferred floral sprays to wire frame designs because they could be made easily, saving time and labor which resulted in greater profit. These designs were sent to the homes of the bereaved or the funeral home. Larger sprays could be placed on the casket and was a less expensive option than floral pall. Sprays could also be used as church decorations for funerals, holidays, weddings, and other special occasions. A pew marker was a popular form of decoration used in churches the home for occasions such as weddings, funerals, holidays, or important days on the religious calendar. Markers were placed at the end of a row of seating or the church pew, which is a long bench seat for members of the congregation to sit during church services. Pew seating might also be used in church choirs, synagogues, and even some courtrooms. From the mid-nineteenth century, pew markers were usually used to highlight the main center aisle; however, they may be placed at either end of a row to indicate reserved seating. The markers were small hanging receptacles, which held clusters of flowers and foliage, often trailing over the edges, and they were often adorned with ribbons or cords in colors that complimented the occasion. Pew markers were usually lined and held a receptacle for a water source to help keep flowers fresh. These floral designs were popular for church and home weddings in the nineteenth century. In the 1960s and 70s, pew markers such as this were replaced by plastic pew clips and floral foams, which made the decoration of churches and other venues easier to arrange, install, and remove.

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Church decorations

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 12 × 3 × 1 1/2 in. (30.5 × 7.6 × 3.8 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, bouquet support</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, BOUQUET SUPPORT</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, bouquet support</I>


label: Date

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The small, openwork vase is comprised of a baroque foliate design. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, has a short length of chain connected to a ring attached to it. 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 mother of pearl which flattens out at the base and is carved in the shape of a flower with its leaves. 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: Origin

content: Great Britain, possibly

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

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver, mother of pearl

content: 5 × 1 in. (12.7 × 2.5 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

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

content: Great Britain

label: Title

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

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


content: ca. 1879-1962

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.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: triangles (polygons)

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

content: Wire

content: 47 × 28 × 16 in. (119.4 × 71.1 × 40.6 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, open triangle on stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, OPEN TRIANGLE ON STAND</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: The anchor flower arrangement was difficult to arrange. It required tight work and precise outlining, or the shape of the flower frame would be lost. It was appropriate to send to the funeral of men or women of any age. Anchors are symbolic of many things but was primarily associated with hope in the nineteenth century. The anchor was also an attribute of the allegory of Hope, who was one of the most popular allegories in both the home and the cemetery. The anchor was also the seaman’s last resort in the storm, and all his hopes for deliverance from the rough seas were placed in it. The characteristics of the anchor as a solid, heavy object whose weight held the ship secure made it symbolic of steadfastness and strength of character. Its ability to hold fast amid the pressures of whatever currents, also implied tranquility and faithfulness in the deceased. Many fraternal emblems also incorporated the anchor into their insignia, and anchor flower frames were often given by fellow members of an organization. The anchor was often used in its capacity of a marine symbol for boating as well, and it was given to members of the sailing profession, the navy, and the coast guard. 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 anchors, 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.

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: anchors (watercraft equipment)

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: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 14 × 11 × 1 in. (35.6 × 27.9 × 2.5 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frames, anchor</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAMES, ANCHOR</I>

title: <I>Wire frames, anchor</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Wire frame trellis in the shape of a shield. The trellis has two wire legs, which could be inserted into the soil to keep it upright. It is in the form of a shield with three points. Two vertical supports extend the length of the piece as well as two diagonals creating an “X” shape. At the top and bottom of the verticals are decorative shapes, and the middle has five rings attached across it starting from the left wall. This design is featured in the catalogue of M. Walker & Sons, of Philadelphia, PA as figure 35.

content: A trellis is an open framework or latticed structure made of interwoven wood, bamboo, or metal for the cultivation and display of climbing plants and shrubs. There are many types of trellis suited to different plants, locations, and purposes, from agricultural pursuits such as growing grapes, to purely decorative garden features for growing plants such as ivy or climbing roses. Trellises can be free standing or attached and are made in a variety of forms including cones, spheres, fans, tree forms, geometric shapes, arches, turrets, and railings. Most commonly they are made in a lozenge type lattice pattern; however, various shapes and combinations are also made. Trellises have long been used in the garden to create internal barriers, structures, shaded areas of secluded spots. They were place against buildings or fences to create the illusion of walls made of vegetation.

content: Trellises have been used in the garden as far back as ancient Roman times and were a popular feature of the Victorian garden. In the Victorian era, roses, ivy, passionflowers, morning glory, grapevines, and shrubs in espalier were popular trellis subjects. When attached gallery facades and columns of structures they were decorative features that appealed to the Victorian love of nature, however they could also be useful. In the days before air conditioning, placing a trellis over a window was a popular way to gain privacy when the window was open while allowing the air to flow through the room. Furthermore, when the sun shone through the backs of the leaves it revealed their veins and structure which appealed to the Victorian’s rapt interest in the horticultural sciences and botany. Trellises were also used indoors to train vines to grow around the curves of the window and brought the outdoors inside.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: trellises

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: gardening

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

content: Trellis

content: Copper wire

content: 23 × 14 in. (58.4 × 35.6 cm)

topic:
Trellises
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Flower arrangement
Gardening
Emblems

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

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

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


content: ca. 1880-1920

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Hexagonal, aquarium or terrarium case made of metal (possibly tin) and plate glass. The exterior is painted green with black detailing.

content: In the mid-1800s, interest in marine and fresh water life soared, which led to the development and widespread popularity of aquariums for the home. Aquariums served as fish tanks or small ornamental fountains in the Victorian home. They might contain wild plants and creatures combined with ferns and fountain feature. Some aquariums were salt-water, providing a glimpse of ocean life, but the majority were fresh-water aquariums. The large plate-glass windows gave a panoramic view of an underwater world and earned the aquarium a place of prominence in many homes. Books and articles were written with instructions on creating and maintaining parlor aquariums, as well as what forms of plant and animal life to stock in it. Water plants and animals were often transplanted from the wild to the drawing room to recreate an encapsulated living world. Victorians watched the antics, growing cycles, and symbiotic relationships that flourished within their parlor aquarium. Soon every home wanted an aquarium and, with price cutting innovations of the Industrial Revolution, many homes could now afford one. Because of their popularity, aquariums were mass produced in a variety of materials and sizes, and they were frequently combined with a Wardian case, bird cage, or plant stand to form a large showpiece for the parlors or conservatories of the mid-to-late-nineteenth century. Aquariums created an ostentatious display that provided an escape from the city and were evidence of the owner’s social superiority and interests in natural history. The household aquarium was a source of entertainment, but it also afforded Victorians with opportunity to for scientific study of the plants and creatures behind the glass.

content: aquariums (containers)

content: case furniture

content: cases (containers)

content: ferneries (greenhouses)

content: glass

content: plate glass

content: terrariums

content: Wardian cases

content: Garden ornaments and furniture

content: indoor gardening

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Aquariums

content: Glass gardens

content: Tin (?), plate glass, paint

content: Exterior: 12 × 12 1/4 × 14 1/4 in. (30.5 × 31.1 × 36.2 cm)

content: Interior: 10 3/4 × 12 1/4 × 14 1/4 in. (27.3 × 31.1 × 36.2 cm)

topic:
Ferneries (greenhouses)
Victoriana
Wardian cases
Glass
Terrariums
Indoor gardening
Plate glass
Aquariums (containers)
Cases (containers)
Gardens
Case furniture
Furnishings

object_type:
Glass gardens
Aquariums (containers)

content: <I>Aquarium or terrarium, hexagonal</I>

title_sort: <I>AQUARIUM OR TERRARIUM, HEXAGONAL</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Aquarium or terrarium, hexagonal</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Nickel silver(?)-plated copper bouquet holder with spade handle. The vase is comprised of two repeats of a grape and leaves pattern. The smooth surface of the grapes is off set by the textured leaves in the design. Near the top of the vase is a large hole for a floral pin. The pin would be used to pierce the stems of the bouquet to secure the flowers in the holder. The neck of the vase is stamped with wild foliate motifs atop two acanthus leaves. These leaves flank the join of the spade handle. has a short length of round-chain connecting a ring attached to it. 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 spade handle is in a Gothic Revival trefoil shape that incorporates acanthus leaves on the inner and outer surfaces, which was stamped in two parts.

label: Mark(s)

content: Registry diamond dates on both sides of the handle below the leaves, [Sept.] 22, [1871]

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

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Copper, nickel-silver plating

label: Dimensions

content: 6 1/4 × 1 1/2 in. (15.9 × 3.8 cm)

label: Style

content: Gothic Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Posy Holder, Grape Cluster & Leaf Motif</I>

title_sort: <I>POSY HOLDER, GRAPE CLUSTER & LEAF MOTIF</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: 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. The cross and crown was a popular combination for flower frames in Christian funerals. This mourning iconography was meant to remind the survivors that after the trials and tribulation of life (the cross), the Christian dead would be rewarded in heaven (the crown). When combined with the cross, the crown also implied the sovereignty of the Lord and His power and authority. This symbol was also used to denote a member of the York Rite Masons.

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: crosses (objects)

content: crowns (costume components)

content: crowns (headdresses)

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

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 17 × 9 × 9 in. (43.2 × 22.9 × 22.9 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Crosses (objects)
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
Rites and ceremonies
Decorations
Wirework
Funeral rites and ceremonies
Flower arrangement
Crowns (costume components)
Emblems
Crowns (headdresses)

label: Title

content: <I>Wire frame, crown & cross, small</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, CROWN & CROSS, SMALL</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

title: <I>Wire frame, crown & cross, small</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of a pierced design of stamped flowers, leaves, berries, and vines. Two short lengths of chain are attached to the base of the vase. The first attaches to a floral pin, which would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The second chain terminates in 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. The straight hexagonal handle is etched with linear designs and capped with small ball finial.

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: 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, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of Frances Jones Poetker.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 5 3/4 × 2 in. (14.6 × 5.1 cm)

content: Naturalism

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, flower motif</I>

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

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


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.

label: Topic

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.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 60 × 32 × 14 in. (152.4 × 81.3 × 35.6 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>

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with looped handle. The vase of the holder is comprised of three repeats of flowers, leaves, and twigs having both shiny and matte surfaces. Near the lip of the vase is a hole for the floral pin which is connected to bouquet holder by a short length of round-link chain at the base of the vase. This pin would be used to pierce the stems in a bouquet to secure the flowers inside the holder. A second length of chain attaches at the same point and is connected to a ring. This feature 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 formed from two stamped repeats of a scrolling foliage design that flares off the main body of the handle. It has a closed loop the reaches the midpoint of this ornate handle.

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: Exhibition

content: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

label: On View

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Silver

content: 7 × 1 1/2 in. (17.8 × 3.8 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

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

label: Thumbnail Image

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


label: Date

content: ca. 1880

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Frame designs which honored the professional life of the deceased were a popular option for the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century funeral. Vehicles, tools, and products were recreated in flowers to celebrate a loved one’s life’s work. These designs were some of the largest and most innovative designs made in flower frames. Civil servants and government officials often received floral tributes on behalf of their city at their funerals. Floral replicas of badges, city and state seals, and items or tools specific to their work were popular subjects for designs. Firemen often received tributes from their fellow fireman, as well as a thankful city. A fireman’s hat, ladder, fire engine, axe, or trumpet were all created for the funerals of fallen firefighters.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: firefighters

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: ladders

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 36 × 27 1/2 × 12 in. (91.4 × 69.9 × 30.5 cm)

topic:
Firefighters
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
Ladders

label: Title

content: <I>Wire frame, fire hook & ladder</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, FIRE HOOK & LADDER</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

title: <I>Wire frame, fire hook & ladder</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The conical vase is comprised of three large morning glory flowers with leaves and vines that form into tendrils near the top. 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 begins with a closed blossom and leaves, the stem of which loops up and curls around the base creating a ring.

label: Label Text

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

content: Silver

content: 5 1/4 × 2 in. (13.3 × 5.1 cm)

label: Style

content: Naturalism

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, morning glory motif</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, MORNING GLORY MOTIF</I>

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass with enamel bouquet holder with glass handle. The vase is formed with a crown-like rim band held up with seven pairs of spear-shaped elements. The crown portion is embellished with ornate Gothic Revival motifs with white and blue enamel. There are two holes, opposite one another, near the top for the floral pin connected by a round-link chain 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 lower portion of the vase is stamped with a beaded rim around a column of graduated hemispheres encircled by gadrooning. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is in the form of a baluster above a circle of horseshoe shaped elements drooping over a neck band stamped with a floral motif on vertical-line background. The spindle handle is formed from hexagonal-shaped turquoise glass. Above the bottom-most portion a band clasped around the handle connects an intricate chain attached to a ring with stamped decoration. 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

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

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded bass, enamel, glass

content: 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm)

content: Gothic Revival

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, turquoise glass handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, TURQUOISE GLASS HANDLE</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1830-1920

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The conical vase is comprised of four large morning glory flowers with leaves and vines that form into tendrils near the top. 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. A second length of 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 handle is hexagonal with panels stamped with a column of foliate motifs facing in alternating directions. A large-ball finial completes the design.

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: On View

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Silver

content: 6 × 1 in. (15.2 × 2.5 cm)

content: Naturalism

content: Birmingham

content: England

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, morning glory motif</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

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

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: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 15 1/2 × 15 × 3 in. (39.4 × 38.1 × 7.6 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

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded bouquet holder with enamel handle. The elaborate stamped metal vase features a pierced design with four flat small medallions surrounded by leaves and curlicues. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle features four bands with alternating enamel and textured surfaces. The straight tapered handle is made of 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 would have been capped with a gilded metal finial, however it is no longer present.

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: enamel

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

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilt metal, enamel

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

content: France

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The lyre was a popular design for funeral flower tributes in the nineteenth century. It could be free standing, hung, placed on a pillow, or combined with another frame such as a wreath or crescent. The lyre was appropriate for both men and women, the young and the old. The Greek lyre was a symbol of music in classical times and one of Apollo’s attributes. Representing harmony between heaven and earth, the lyre was a symbol of both peace and musical talent. The lyre often will have a broken string to symbolize a life that has been cut short. The strings could be made from a variety of materials including flowers, wire, and fabric strips such as chenille.

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: lyres

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 19 × 13 × 1 in. (48.3 × 33 × 2.5 cm)

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

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

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

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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: lyres

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: 18 × 18 × 2 1/2 in. (45.7 × 45.7 × 6.4 cm)

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

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

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

label: Thumbnail Image

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: In mourning symbolism of the nineteenth century, sword and Bible were symbolic of victory over death. The Bible was meant to call attention to religion and be a testament to the beliefs of the deceased and the addition of the sword referenced “the sword of the spirit” in Ephesians 6:13, the tool given to Christians to remain faithful and achieve 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.

label: Label Text

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: swords

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 31 1/2 × 14 × 2 1/2 in. (80 × 35.6 × 6.4 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
Weapons
Flower arrangement
Emblems

content: <I>Wire frame, sword & Bible</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, SWORD & BIBLE</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, sword & Bible</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The vase is comprised of openwork loops of braiding with two braided wreaths. Below two graceful birds are surrounded by floral motifs. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is formed from a sphere above a band stamped with decoration. A short length of chain connects a floral pin to the 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.

label: Topic

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

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

content: 5 1/4 × 1 3/4 in. (13.3 × 4.4 cm)

content: Aesthetic Movement

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

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The openwork vase is comprised of elaborate Rococo Revival style stampings into which are set five square cut red stones. 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 vase connects to the handle with a neck band stamped with floral decoration on a background of vertical lines. The spindle handle is made from a luminescent mother of pearl. It has been turned, creating rings and bands as it tapers to a point. 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 tip of the handle, a band connects a second chain connected to a ring to 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: 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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG


label: Date

content: ca. 1880

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. As a visual genre, unfilled furniture came to represent a deceased loved one in nineteenth-century mourning iconography. These designs were in form of objects that the deceased had interacted with and became a personification of the individual who had been lost. The Vacant Chair or Empty Chair appeared in a variety of mediums in mourning paraphernalia, from the cemetery to photography. The chair that was once occupied, now left vacant implied the absence or loss of a family member, particularly an authoritative figure. This made the Empty Chair particularly suited to men, especially those in positions of authority; however, any father as head of the household was worthy of such a tribute in the nineteenth century. The Vacant Chair design could also be more general in its connotations, indicating any missing member of the family or community. A variation on the Empty Chair design, the Armchair could also be used as a symbol of ease and a charming life. The Vacant Chair or Empty Chair was usually an elaborate and massive floral design. It was usually life-sized. Depending on the ambitiousness of the designs and the quality of flowers, these designs, as some of the more expensive flower frame tributes, ranged in price from $50-100 as of the early twentieth century.

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: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: armchairs

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

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 21 1/2 × 10 × 11 in. (54.6 × 25.4 × 27.9 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, armchair, small</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, ARMCHAIR, SMALL</I>

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Wire frame, armchair, small</I>