label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with glass handle. The cup-shaped vase is comprised of intertwined scrolls, braids, and foliate forms. A short length of chain connects a floral pin to the base of the vase. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The spindle handle is composed of translucent milk glass. A second length of chain connected to a ring is attached to loop around the tip of the handle. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. .

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

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: glass

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Gilded metal, glass

content: 4 3/4 × 1 in. (12.1 × 2.5 cm)

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

content: France

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

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

title: <I>Bouquet holder, glass handle</I>


unitCode: HAC

type: edanmdm

content: ca. 1830-1920

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Stamped gilt metal holder formed of five identical female figures and tobacco leaf repeats. Each is dressed in a headdress, necklace, and flowing skirt with boots, and are likely meant to depict the stylized ideal of the "Indian maidens" of the Americas held by Europeans. The handle is in the same pattern in three repeats and is capped with a ball. Two chains attach to the center of the bouquet holder between the vase and handle. One is attached to a pin which would be inserted through a hole in one of the figure's chest. This would pierce the stems of the bouquet in order to secure it in the holder. The second chain attaches to a ring. This could be worn on about the finger or hung on a chatelaine to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Label Text

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

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal

label: Dimensions

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

place: England Birmingham

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

type: City

content: Birmingham

type: Country

content: England

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, female figure with tobacco leaf pattern, with pattern handle</I>

unit_code: HAC

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, FEMALE FIGURE WITH TOBACCO LEAF PATTERN, WITH PATTERN HANDLE</I>

data_source: Smithsonian Gardens

type: Images

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

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

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

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: Maltese crosses

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Wire

content: 20 × 20 × 13 in. (50.8 × 50.8 × 33 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, Maltese cross on folding stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, MALTESE CROSS ON FOLDING STAND</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: It was common for social or business organizations to send flowers to the funerals of deceased members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Flowers were sent by friendly and fraternal societies, temperance leagues, social clubs, veteran’s organization, and worker’s unions, among others. The floral tributes were often set pieces patterned after the emblem of the organization or club with flowers and ribbons in their colors. Designs had to be recognizable, thus accuracy was important for the florist, each flower frame must be made to an exact shape and carefully arranged with flowers in the appropriate colors. Depending on the size of the floral recreation, elements might be added or subtracted while maintaining an accurate overall impression of the emblem. In addition to the organization’s emblem recreated on flower frames, many of their other symbols, or assemblages of multiple symbols were recreated out of wire frames for floral arrangements. Emblem set pieces were also used for organizational functions other than just funerals, such as private ceremonies or special events sponsored by the group. Organizational emblem frames often comprised a significant portion of floral frame trade catalogs. The Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor is a nondenominational evangelical society founded in 1881 in Portland, Maine. The aim of the club was to promote a Christian life, make themselves useful to God, and increase fellowship. The emblem of the Christian Endeavor is a letter E within a circle.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: 15 3/4 × 14 1/2 × 1 in. (40 × 36.8 × 2.5 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, Christian Endeavor emblem</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR EMBLEM</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder with tripod base. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of delicate filigree petals, which create a scalloped rim. A short length of chain connects a floral pin to the side of the vase. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is decorated with filigree leaves alternating with applied 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 intricate filigree spring out, each with a foot at the end to add stability. The ring around the top of the legs could be slid down in order to secure the legs together. The when the legs were secured together, they acted as a straight, stem handle for the bouquet holder. A second length of chain connected to a ring is attached to one of the legs. 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

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

content: 7 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (19.1 × 3.8 cm)

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

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal and blue bead bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The vase features a gilt cornucopia and is decorated with foliate forms with connecting loops of blue beads and four drops of blue glass balls with gilt chains and needle-like pendants. A series of pointed leaves dissolve into the spindle handle. At this point a chain is connected to ring attaches to the bouquet holder. 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 formed 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

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

content: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

label: On View

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

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, beads, mother of pearl

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

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, blue beads, mother of pearl handle</I>

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Copper bouquet holder with looped handle. The vase of the bouquet holder was stamped with four repeats of a design featuring birds, leaves, and flowers above a repeating pattern of ‘S’-shapes. Between one of the birds and a hanging bud is a hole for a floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure them inside the holder. The pin is attached to a short length of round-link chain which connects it to a ring near the top of the handle. The handle of the bouquet holder was stamped in two parts and follows the curvaceous foliate forms that are seen in the vase. It curves up to create a loop with three notches that mimic leaves on a vine.

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: copper

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Copper

label: Dimensions

content: 5 × 1 1/2 in. (12.7 × 3.8 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

content: Birmingham

content: England

object_type:
Bouquet holders
Copper (metal)

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, birds and leaves motif</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, BIRDS AND LEAVES MOTIF</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1860

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Cast-iron aquarium on base with plate glass windows. Decoration at each meeting point of glass may be a representation of Canna indica. A "leaf" bowl is placed above the center of the aquarium, where water jetted out. This octagonal aquarium fountain rests on a slender column on three legs with the feet raised on rolling castors. Cases with castors could be moved between rooms. Companies touted their mobility as a labor saving attribute of this device and a major selling point. Naturalism, the realistic reproduction of the beauties of nature, was a popular style in the Victorian era. Though it appears as early as the 1840’s in America, naturalistic designs continued to the 1900s. This was in part due to the influence of the natural sciences, and interest in nature and gardening, which spread through the upper and middle classes in the nineteenth century. Naturalistic designs incorporated floral, foliate, fruit, vegetal, and animal forms into furnishings and decorative objects for the home and garden. Popular subjects included grapes, cornstalks, ferns, Solomon seal or laurel leaf, passion flowers, lilies of the valley, morning glories, oak leaves, acorns, vines, and roses.

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: cast iron

content: fountains

content: plate glass

content: Garden ornaments and furniture

content: indoor gardening

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Aquariums

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Cast iron, plate glass, paint

content: Overall: 45 in. (114.3 cm)

content: Base: 9 1/2 × 21 × 21 in. (24.1 × 53.3 × 53.3 cm)

content: Pedestal: 27 in. (68.6 cm)

content: Tank (exterior): 8 1/2 × 28 in. (21.6 × 71.1 cm)

content: Tank (interior): 22 in. (55.9 cm)

content: Naturalism

topic:
Victoriana
Cast iron
Indoor gardening
Fountains
Plate glass
Aquariums (containers)
Gardens
Furnishings

content: <I>Aquarium fountain, Canna indica</I>

title_sort: <I>AQUARIUM FOUNTAIN, CANNA INDICA</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Aquarium fountain, Canna indica</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

label: Period

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

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: 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. Gift of H. Weber & Sons Company.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: 13 × 10 × 1 in. (33 × 25.4 × 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 frame, anchor</I>

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver-plated bouquet holder with straight handle with tripod feet. The vase of the bouquet holder incorporates a Greek key motif, set at a slight angle with sweeping tendrils both above and below which creates a crown like lip. Both the scrolls and Greek key designs have applied beadwork tracing their forms. This mixture of classical, curvilinear, and natural motifs is representative of the interest in historicism and the natural world which characterizes much of nineteenth century design. There is a large hole for a floral pin at a join near the top of the vase. This pin would be used to pierce the stems of the bouquet to secure the flowers in the holder. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is concave and connects to 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. The handle is formed with three silver oak leaves which are extended to form the stand when a ball-shaped extension of the stem is pushed up forcing the leaves into a horizontal position. This would allow the bouquet holder to act as a free-standing table or mantle ornament.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver-plated

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

content: Renaissance Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, Greek key motif, tripod</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, GREEK KEY MOTIF, TRIPOD</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with clip. The cone-shaped holder is comprised of two sheets stamped with floral and foliate forms with evidence of red, blue, and white enamel. At the center is a small applied bird ornament. A loop-shaped clip on the back allowed the holder to be worn attached to garments.

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.

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

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilt metal

label: Dimensions

content: 3 × 1 1/2 in. (7.6 × 3.8 cm)

label: Style

content: Aesthetic Movement

content: <I>Bouquet holder, bird motif, hook attachment</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, BIRD MOTIF, HOOK ATTACHMENT</I>


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Ivory bouquet holder with straight handle. The vase is comprised of six petals encircled by an ivory ring, which could be slid up and down to secure a bouquet in the holder. The ivory handle is slightly concave at the top and has a ring on the end.

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

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: ivory

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

content: Ivory

content: 6 × 1 in. (15.2 × 2.5 cm)

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

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, petals, ivory</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, PETALS, IVORY</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

title: <I>Bouquet holder, petals, ivory</I>


label: Period

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: 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: Naturalism

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image

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


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

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

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: 26 × 13 1/2 × 8 in. (66 × 34.3 × 20.3 cm)

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with pearls and ivory beads and mother of pearl handle. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of four panels built up with carefully worked roping, leaves in gold, and three gold balls. A baroque pearl from which dangle ivory fritillaria with stamens of gold are set in the bottom of each panel. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is decorated with stamped scroll motifs. Two short lengths of chain are attached to the neck. 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 would have terminated 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 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.

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mother of pearl

content: pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, pearls, bone, mother of pearl

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

content: Art Nouveau

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

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

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

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

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: 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: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

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

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

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

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


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder with acorn motif. The openwork, funnel-shaped vase is comprised of filigree leaves with applied berries and acorns. At 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 stick stem is wrapped in applied filigree leaves and is capped with a ball finial.

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

label: Dimensions

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

label: Style

content: Naturalism

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

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


content: Late nineteenth century

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Cast-iron arborette in the form of a tree trunk. Around the base of the trunk are rocks with flowers and ferns growing from them. 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

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Arborettes

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Cast iron

content: Overall: 54 in. (137.2 cm)

content: Bottom: 26 in. (66 cm)

content: Top: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)

content: Rustic

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

label: Title

content: <I>Arborette, flowers and ferns</I>

title_sort: <I>ARBORETTE, FLOWERS AND FERNS</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

title: <I>Arborette, flowers and ferns</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver bouquet holder with loop handle. The vase is stamped with five repeats of a grape and leaf repeat. A hole through one of the upper leaves is for a floral pin. The pin would be inserted the vase and pierce the stems of a bouquet to secure them inside. The curved handle is formed from a stamped design of scrolling foliage that flares off the main body. The handle ends in a closed loop the reaches the midpoint of this ornate handle. A ring connected to a short length of chain is attached so the bouquet holder could either be worn on the finger or connected to waist on chatelaine 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: 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 11/16 in. (12.7 × 4.3 cm)

content: Naturalism

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Copper bouquet holder with spade handle. The openwork vase features a design of broad leaves with thistles and roses between the stems. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is formed from acanthus leaves that splay outward on either side. A short length of chain, which would have connected to a finger ring attaches to this point. 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 in a Gothic Revival trefoil shape that incorporates acanthus leaves on the inner and outer surfaces.

label: Label Text

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

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

label: Medium

content: Copper

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

content: Gothic Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, rose motif, spade handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, ROSE MOTIF, SPADE HANDLE</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder. The upper portion of the vase is composed of six petals with a network of filigree volutes, swirls, and concentric ellipses which create a daisy flower motif. There are two well defined holes opposite one another for a floral pin, which attaches to the base of the petals by a short length of ornate chain. 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 next section incorporates concentric circles and curvaceous forms between zigzag borders. The handle portion is filigree and the interior is open so it acts as part of the vase. When a bouquet is placed inside, the stems of the flowers would extend the length of the bouquet holder. The handle terminates with a sphere of oval panels with filigree spirals. A large loop on the end connected a chain that would likely have 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: Italy, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: filigree

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

content: Silver

content: 3 1/4 × 1 1/2 in. (8.3 × 3.8 cm)

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

content: Italy

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

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

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


label: Date

content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: stars

content: wire

content: armed forces

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 24 1/2 × 14 × 14 in. (62.2 × 35.6 × 35.6 cm)

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

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

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

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


content: ca. 1879-1962

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The Gates Ajar or Gates of Heaven set piece was an especially elaborate design and very popular in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. It generally ranged from two to four feet high with either pointed or rounded arches over a pair of gates. A taxidermy dove, or less commonly a star, was often placed surmounting the arch. This design was used for the funerals of both men and women. This set piece was meant to portray the entrance to the heavenly realm, and the gates were usually left open to indicate the recent departure of the spirit into heaven. Open gates also implied that the connection with those who had passed was not completely severed, and nothing stood in the way of an eventual reunion in heaven. In nineteenth-century mourning culture, symbols of departure were commonly seen such as a finger pointing heavenward, the hand of God pulling a link from the family chain, hands clasped, and Heaven's open gates. A variation of this design, the Golden Way, incorporated a pathway in the foreground. Inscriptions were frequently included on the platform base of Gates Ajar designs such as "Gone Home.”

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: gates

content: heaven

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Wire

content: 49 1/2 × 30 1/2 × 14 1/2 in. (125.7 × 77.5 × 36.8 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, gates ajar, large</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, GATES AJAR, LARGE</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, gates ajar, large</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder with pin. The holder is in the shape of an urn with a flared mouth of five petals. The entire holder is filled with delicate filigree decoration. On the back a vertical pin allows the holder to worn attached the garments.

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.

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

content: 2 × 1/2 in. (5.1 × 1.3 cm)

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

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


content: ca. 1880

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Stars set designs were used for a wide variety of occasions. They were often part of emblems for organizations, such as the military, and incorporated into larger arrangements. Stars were also popular at Christmas time acting as the Star of Bethlehem from the story of the nativity. In mourning iconography, a star is symbolic of wisdom and the Divine Spirit. The use of the star flower frame could be to symbolize wisdom or as more of a decorative device. Flower frame designs of national symbols and emblems of the military branch of the fallen celebrated their patriotism at the funerals of active military and veterans. Often flowers the same color as the American flag were employed in arrangements, such as roses, carnations, and cornflowers to create that patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme. Nationally symbolic designs such as stars, American flags, eagles, and many other designs were also displayed in shop windows and at ceremonies for holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day. These designs remained popular into the twentieth century.

content: 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: stars

content: wire

content: armed forces

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 16 × 16 × 1 in. (40.6 × 40.6 × 2.5 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, wreath with star</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, WREATH WITH STAR</I>

label: High-resolution JPEG

title: <I>Wire frame, wreath with star</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

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: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 40 × 18 × 11 1/2 in. (101.6 × 45.7 × 29.2 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
Lyres
Flower arrangement
Emblems

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

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

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Small, white porcelain flower holder in curved teardrop shape with painted purple and yellow flowers and leaves. On either side of the vase were small loops to allow the bottle to be tied with ribbon to something.

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porcelain

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Porcelain

content: 3 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (8.9 × 6.4 cm)

label: Style

content: Aesthetic Movement

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

content: <I>Bouquet holder, painted flowers, ceramic</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, PAINTED FLOWERS, CERAMIC</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The crown-topped vase with formal trefoil design at the high points of the top crown. Below the pointed top is double band of elliptical gold lozenges, and this baroque design leading gradually into a mother of pearl stem. Near the base of the vase is a short length of chain connected to a floral pin with a very pointed end and varying width in the center. 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 straight spindle handle is made of 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 tip a band around the stem connects a second length of chain to a ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: 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

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Medium

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

content: 4 1/2 × 1 in. (11.4 × 2.5 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

content: France

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

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


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The funnel-shaped vase features reliefs of classical heads in profile surrounded by engraved laurel wreathes. Above and below is a decorative band around the vase. A short length of chain connects a ring to the base of the vase. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The straight handle swells toward the end and capped with small ball finial. It also features engraved designs and decorative banding.

content: Great Britain, 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: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: FJP.1987.091.a, b

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Bouquet Holder: Silver Case: Leather, satin, velvet

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

content: Other: 16.5 × 5.7 cm (6 1/2 × 2 1/4 in.)

content: Renaissance Revival

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

content: Great Britain

content: <I>Bouquet holder, classical heads, with case</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, CLASSICAL HEADS, WITH CASE</I>


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with enamel handle. The openwork vase is comprised of elaborate Rococo Revival style stampings with blue and white enameling. 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 straight tapered handle is made of blue enamel on copper with silver and gold paillons in designs around the stem, which recall the French porcelain designs produced in the eighteenth century. The handle is capped in with a gilded brass finial with a chain and ring attached to the tip. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine worn at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: France, possible

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

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Gilded metal, enamel

label: Dimensions

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

content: Rococo Revival

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

content: France

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, enamel vase and handle</I>

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

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

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

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

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 24 × 23 × 1 in. (61 × 58.4 × 2.5 cm)

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

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Wire frame, Masonic emblem</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The Gates Ajar or Gates of Heaven set piece was an especially elaborate design and very popular in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. It generally ranged from two to four feet high with either pointed or rounded arches over a pair of gates. A taxidermy dove, or less commonly a star, was often placed surmounting the arch. This design was used for the funerals of both men and women. This set piece was meant to portray the entrance to the heavenly realm, and the gates were usually left open to indicate the recent departure of the spirit into heaven. Open gates also implied that the connection with those who had passed was not completely severed, and nothing stood in the way of an eventual reunion in heaven. In nineteenth-century mourning culture, symbols of departure were commonly seen such as a finger pointing heavenward, the hand of God pulling a link from the family chain, hands clasped, and Heaven's open gates. A variation of this design, the Golden Way, incorporated a pathway in the foreground. Inscriptions were frequently included on the platform base of Gates Ajar designs such as "Gone Home.”

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: gates

content: heaven

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 41 1/2 × 29 × 13 1/4 in. (105.4 × 73.7 × 33.7 cm)

content: <I>Wire frame, gates ajar, large</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Wire frame, gates ajar, large</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Copper(?)

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

label: Style

content: Naturalism

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, grape and leaf motif, straight handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, GRAPE AND LEAF MOTIF, STRAIGHT HANDLE</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1860

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Cast-iron and glass octagonal aquarium/terarrium with fountain. Four of the eight corner posts have plant cups screwed in, while the other four have decorative bellflower finials. The pedistal is comprised of central post with three feet radiating out from base. There is a drainage hole, 3/4" diameter, near center of glass container, leading into an iron pipe that descends through the pedestal for the fountain pump. The floral and foliate motifs are typical of the Naturalistic style of the nineteenth century. Naturalism, the realistic reproduction of the beauties of nature, was a popular style in the Victorian era. Though it appears as early as the 1840’s in America, naturalistic designs continued to the 1900s. This was in part due to the influence of the natural sciences, and interest in nature and gardening, which spread through the upper and middle classes in the nineteenth century. Naturalistic designs incorporated floral, foliate, fruit, vegetal, and animal forms into furnishings and decorative objects for the home and garden. Popular subjects included grapes, cornstalks, ferns, Solomon seal or laurel leaf, passion flowers, lilies of the valley, morning glories, oak leaves, acorns, vines, and roses.

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: cast iron

content: fountains

content: plate glass

content: Garden ornaments and furniture

content: indoor gardening

content: Victoriana

content: water features

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Aquariums

content: Fountains

label: Medium

content: Cast iron, plate glass, paint

content: Overall: 44 in. (111.8 cm)

content: Pedestal: 27 in. (68.6 cm)

content: Tank (exterior): 8 1/2 × 30 in. (21.6 × 76.2 cm)

content: Tank (interior): 22 in. (55.9 cm)

content: Naturalism

topic:
Victoriana
Cast iron
Indoor gardening
Fountains
Plate glass
Aquariums (containers)
Gardens
Water features
Furnishings

object_type:
Fountains
Aquariums (containers)

content: <I>Aquarium, octagonal with fountain</I>

title_sort: <I>AQUARIUM, OCTAGONAL WITH FOUNTAIN</I>