label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with cone shape. The curvaceous holder was cast with ribbon, scroll, and floral decorations.

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

label: Mark(s)

content: "STERLING"

content: United States

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

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Silver

label: Dimensions

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

content: Rococo Revival

content: United States

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

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

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


unitCode: HAC

type: edanmdm

label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder in cornucopia shape. The body of the holder is made from stamped mesh with applied filigree mounts and lip. The rim is scalloped with teardrop shaped panels filled with filigree ellipses. Four additional filigree teardrops form a V on the front of the holder. The end of the cornucopia is capped with a silver ball finial with additional filigree decoration overlaid on one side. An intricate chain with tiny flowers ends 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.

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: filigree

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

label: Medium

content: Silver

content: 5 1/2 × 3 in. (14 × 7.6 cm)

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

label: Title

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

unit_code: HAC

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

data_source: Smithsonian Gardens

type: Images

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Bouquet holder with gilded brass vase featuring mirrors and painted vignette with enamel handle. The vase is composed of four faces with stamped eighteenth-century style frames. One contains a mirror, sometimes called a flirting mirror, that allowed the lady to check her face or spy on what was happening behind her. The opposite face feature a hand-painted scene of a two people enjoying a lake with sailboat in it in front of a mountainous backdrop. These faces alternate with ornate panels featuring Rococo Revival designs. The base is encircled by a row of large, stamped pineapples. A stack of ten rings forms the neckband, which connects the vase to the handle. Attached to it is chain made for woven strands ending in 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 light blue enamel on copper with silver and gold paillons in designs around the stem, which recalls the French porcelain designs produced in the eighteenth century. The handle was originally capped by a gilded brass finial that is no longer present.

label: Origin

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: enamel

content: miniatures (paintings)

content: mirrors

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded brass, paint, enamel, mirror

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

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

type: Country

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, painted vignettes</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, PAINTED VIGNETTES</I>


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Open vase of stamped gilded brass and mother of pearl shaft. This interesting design for a bouquet holder incorporates flora and fauna into its composition. The gold vase is formed by three leaves that spring upward in an ‘S' curve. Central veins run through the leaves to their jagged edges. Three smaller leaves surround the base, securing it to the base and handle. A long serpent coils around the vase with its head serving as the lip of the bowl. The surface of the snake's body is adorned with stamped flowers instead of scales. Below the middle, a broken link attached for a chain ending in a floral pin is missing. The vase connects to the handle with a domed band with smooth and textured chevrons in the surface. The handle is a straight spindle made of turned mother of pearl that tapers to a point. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials. Because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months. A flat area near the bottom of the handle suitable for a band to attach a chain for a finger ring but both are missing. 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.

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: brass (alloy)

content: gilding

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Exhibition

content: Floral Fashions: From Bouquets to Buttonholes

label: On View

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Gilded brass, mother of pearl

label: Dimensions

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

content: Renaissance Revival

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

building: Quadrangle

content: France

content: <I>Bouquet holder, serpent and leaves</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, SERPENT AND LEAVES</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of four open rings with scroll ornamentation. A short length of chain connects a floral pin to the base of the vase. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is decorated with stamped scroll motifs. The handle is mother of pearl in pendulous shape and held on by four textured wires terminating in a ball finial. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

label: Label Text

content: France, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, alabaster

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

content: Rococo Revival

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

content: France

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The funnel shaped vase features etched flowers within panels topped by three registers with engraved design. The lip of the vase is scalloped with wavy petals. A medallion on the vase bears the initials A.G. to E.R.W. in fancy script. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, has a short length of chain terminating in loop-ended floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The handle is octagonal and made from a single sheet of metal. Each panel is engraved in an alternating pattern of ways and leaf motifs. A two-part stamped ball caps the bottom of the handle.

label: Inscription(s)

content: Initialed A.G. to E.R.W.

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Medium

content: Silver

content: 5 1/2 × 1 1/4 in. (14 × 3.2 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

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

content: Great Britain

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, etched flowers</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, ETCHED FLOWERS</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, etched flowers</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Wire frame trellis in the shape of a tulip. The trellis has two wire legs, which could be inserted into the soil to keep it upright. It is formed by vertical and horizontal wire supports up the body of the blossom, which is pear-shaped. The top of the flower has a scrolled-end splaying outward on either side with a point in the center. This design is featured in the catalogue of M. Walker & Sons, of Philadelphia, PA as figure 33.

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

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

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: trellises

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: gardening

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Floral frames

content: Trellis

content: Copper wire

content: 22 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (57.2 × 24.1 cm)

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

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder with tripod base. The vase is formed by five serrated leaf-shaped panels with intricate filigree interiors. Applied to the exterior are filigree flowers and hanging swags of balls and tassels. Two short lengths of chain are attached to the side of the vase. The first attaches to a floral pin, which would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The second chain has a filigree sphere-shaped charm hanging from it and terminates in a ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The 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 spring out (one of which is missing), each with a foot at the end to add stability. The legs are each filled with more substantial filigree than the delicate vase. The when the legs were secured together, they acted as a straight, stem handle for the bouquet holder. This type of silver filigree is typical of bouquet holders made in India.

label: Label Text

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

label: Origin

content: India, 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: FJP.1987.064.a, b

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Silver

label: Dimensions

content: 6 × 2 in. (15.2 × 5.1 cm)

content: India

content: <I>Bouquet holder, hanging spheres, tripod</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, HANGING SPHERES, TRIPOD</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Victory over death is rooted in the tenants of the Christian faith, and in the nineteenth century this concept was magnified. Death and eternity in heaven were seen as the victory of faithfulness. Symbols of victory reminded the Christian that whatever pain and suffering one may endure, they would come out on the other side into glory and heaven. In addition to symbolic shapes, references to victory were made through the “Language of Flowers” by using palm, laurel, or nasturtium. As they alluded to the reward at life’s end, set pieces in the form of victory symbols were especially suited to funerals, but they might also be used at other religious events and occasions. The cross and crown was a popular combination for flower frames in Christian funerals. This mourning iconography was meant to remind the survivors that after the trials and tribulation of life (the cross), the Christian dead would be rewarded in heaven (the crown). When combined with the cross, the crown also implied the sovereignty of the Lord and His power and authority. This symbol was also used to denote a member of the York Rite Masons.

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

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

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

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: crosses (objects)

content: crowns (costume components)

content: crowns (headdresses)

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 17 × 9 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (43.2 × 24.1 × 24.1 cm)

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

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

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

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


content: ca. 1880

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 Independent Order of the Odd Fellows or I.O.O.F is an interantion fraternal organization which was founded in America in 1819 in Baltimore, Maryland. The basis of Odd Fellowship and the IOOF command is “Visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan.” The IOOF insignia is three links of chain with the letters F, L, and T, which stood for Friendship, Love, and Truth.

content: 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

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: 7 × 18 1/2 × 1 in. (17.8 × 47 × 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

label: Title

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

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


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

content: crosses (objects)

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 40 × 16 × 11 in. (101.6 × 40.6 × 27.9 cm)

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

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


label: Date

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with loop handle. The openwork vase is comprised of bold scrolls, flowers, foliage and large birds with leaf in beak. At the base of the vase two short lengths of chain are connected, one of which is broken. The other chain connects to a floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The handle of the holder was stamped with two repeats with floral decoration. The bottom of the handle loops up creating a ring at the end of the handle.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

place: England Birmingham

type: City

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, bird 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.

label: Label Text

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: triangles (polygons)

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 24 × 12 × 7 1/2 in. (61 × 30.5 × 19.1 cm)

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass vase with two mirrors and turquois glass stones. In the style of the 18th century, the stamped metalwork creates an ornate frame for the two oval mirrors, as well as creating the other two sides of the vase. The mirrors, sometimes called flirting mirrors, allowed the lady to check her face or spy on what was happening behind her. Below, turquois glass stones are inset into the curvaceous forms. These sides alternate with two repeats of Rococo Revival style motifs with a central turquoise glass “gem.” The neck is stamped with a four-dot diamond pattern and crescents on a vertical-line background. The remnants of a chain which would have attached to a pin on a chain to insert through the side of the bouquet holder through the stems to secure the posy inside. From the neck band extends the carved mother of pearl stick-stem handle. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months. The shaft, which is carved with graduated rings, is missing its end. There would also likely be a chain connected to ring that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

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

label: Origin

content: France, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: gilding

content: mirrors

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Gilded brass, mother of pearl, mirrors, glass

label: Dimensions

content: 5 × 1 1/2 × 1 3/16 in. (12.7 × 3.8 × 3 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

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

content: France

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder with tripod base. The scalloped, funnel-shaped vase is comprised of teardrop-shaped leaves overlaid with serrated leaf shapes, each with intricate filigree interiors. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is decorated with filigree leaves alternating with applied silver flowers on long, slender stems. The handle of the bouquet holder also serves as a tripod stand. This would allow the bouquet holder to act as a free-standing table or mantle ornament. Three curved panels with 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 short 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.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: filigree

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

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

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 bouquet holder with looped handle. The small is pierced with chased floral and foliate designs. The spoon-handle of the bouquet holder was stamped in two parts and follows the curvaceous foliate form that his seen in the vase. It is made of a more substantial cast brass with looped ending with three notches that mimics leaves on a vine.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Medium

content: Gilded metal

content: 4 × 1 in. (10.2 × 2.5 cm)

content: Rococo Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, floral motif with spoon handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, FLORAL MOTIF WITH SPOON HANDLE</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG


label: Date

content: ca. 1875

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Large floral recreations of ships were chosen to highlight the theme of the occasion. They were used at ceremonies, luncheons, and funerals. For the funeral, a boat or ship flower frame could be both symbolic of certain spiritual beliefs, as well as representative of someone of seafaring profession or who was stationed on board a Navy vessel. These designs were often ordered for an individual who went down with the ship. 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 Navy ships, 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: wicker

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: ships

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: 1985.039.a, b

content: Floral frames

content: Wicker

content: 30 × 27 × 13 in. (76.2 × 68.6 × 33 cm)

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

content: <I>Flower frame, ship</I>

title_sort: <I>FLOWER FRAME, SHIP</I>

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Flower frame, ship</I>


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

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

label: Label Text

content: crosses (objects)

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

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: 22 × 8 × 6 1/2 in. (55.9 × 20.3 × 16.5 cm)

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

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

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

label: Thumbnail Image

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with looped handle. The openwork vase is comprised of grapes, leaves, and vines entangled with large rings. The handle begins with a closed blossom and leaves, the stem of which loops up and curls around the base creating a ring.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

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

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: fire hats

content: firefighters

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 18 × 12 × 10 in. (45.7 × 30.5 × 25.4 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, fireman's helmet</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, FIREMAN'S HELMET</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, fireman's helmet</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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.

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

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 15 × 11 × 2 in. (38.1 × 27.9 × 5.1 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, anchor wrapped with green paper</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, ANCHOR WRAPPED WITH GREEN PAPER</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: 26 × 15 × 7 in. (66 × 38.1 × 17.8 cm)

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

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

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


label: Date

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with enamel handle. The vase is comprised of pierced, stamped ornate designs incorporating S and C scrolls, foliage, and other Rococo Revival motifs. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle is textured with scrolling motifs. A short length of flat figure-"8" ladder chain connects from the middle of the vase to a loop-ended floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The straight tapered handle is made of royal blue enamel on copper with silver and gold paillons in designs around the stem, which recalls the French porcelain designs produced in the eighteenth century. The handle was originally capped by a gilded brass finial that is no longer present.

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

content: France, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: enamel

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, enamel

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

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

content: France

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver bouquet holder with spade handle. The openwork vase features a design of four birds nestled among grape leaves and vines. 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 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

label: Mark(s)

content: English hallmark

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

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

content: Gothic Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with curved handle. The vase is comprised of grape clusters and leaves looped over a wire ring, which functions as the lip. Below the clusters, large upright leaves make up the bottom of the vase. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is long with slender upright leaves overlaying a central support. The curved, tubular handle is hand engraved and capped with a ball. A finger ring on a shorth length of chain is connected so the bouquet holder could be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine at the waist.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Silver

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

content: Aesthetic Movement

content: Birmingham

content: England

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 25 × 25 × 1 1/2 in. (63.5 × 63.5 × 3.8 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</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, MALTESE CROSS</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, Maltese cross</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1879-1962

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.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: triangles (polygons)

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 46 × 28 × 14 in. (116.8 × 71.1 × 35.6 cm)

label: Title

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

label: High-resolution TIFF


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver filigree bouquet holder pin. The holder is in the shape of a tri-lobed leave with veins and delicate mesh backing. On the face of the leaf, a small column decorated with floral motifs acts as the vase. Below a stem extends with filigree decoration. On the back is a clip and the maker’s marks.

label: Label Text

content: Flowers used for personal adornment were a popular fashion accessory throughout the 1800s up to the mid-1900s. Carrying or wearing fresh flowers was an important aspect of not only fashion but of good breeding and refined tastes. Corsages worn by women and boutonnieres worn by men were essential elements of dress for the tasteful upper- and middle-class Americans and Europeans at social functions. Many wore flowers whenever they were in public, including President McKinley, who wore a carnation in his lapel every day. In 1840, Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV of the Great Britain and Hanover, introduced the fashion of tucking a small posy into a high waistband or sash, and Queen Victoria popularized the bouquet holder as seen in her portrait at the opera painted by E.T. Parris in 1838. By the 1830s carrying and wearing small bouquets of flowers in decorative holders was an established fashion accessory of the upper class and royalty of Europe. These small accessories, also known as posy holders, ‘porte-bouquets,’ and ‘bouquetiers’ were both decorative as well as useful. By providing a water source in the bottom of the receptacle, they were able to keep the flowers fresh throughout an occasion, and they also protected the wearer’s gloves or clothing from being stained by the plant pigments. Some had a pin or clip attachment that allowed it to be worn on the clothing. These bouquet holders were usually light weight, so not to strain the garment. Similar holders were made for men to attach to their lapels and are often referred to as a boutonniere vase. Bouquet holders were copied and mass produced in a variety of sizes, materials, and embellishments. During the second half of the nineteenth century, holders might be commissioned or purchased from the stock at a jeweler or florist shop. Few were made in the United States, instead they were usually imported from Europe and Asia. They were often given as a commemorative memento of historic encounters or events by the royalty and courts of Europe, but they were also used to celebrate and commemorate important, though less prestigious, events of the wealthy and middle class. Bouquet holders reached the peak of their popularity between the 1830s and 1880s, but it began to dwindle as bouquets of long-stemmed flowers (the latest horticultural development) loosely tied with ribbons surpassed the posy bouquet style. They were not totally out of fashion until the “Roaring Twenties,” when such objects became regarded as trivial and useless. The diversity of styles and mechanisms of bouquet holders is evidence of their longevity as a fashion accessory.

label: Mark(s)

content: Horse Symbol, "CHINA SILVER"

content: China

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Brass

content: 4 × 2 1/2 in. (10.2 × 6.4 cm)

content: China

content: <I>Bouquet holder, clover motif, clip</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, CLOVER MOTIF, CLIP</I>

label: High-resolution JPEG


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Wire frame trellis in the shape of an arbor painted white. This trellis has four iron wire legs, which could be inserted into the soil to keep it upright. It is formed by two arches with diagonal and horizonal supports between them. Similar shaped supports, though larger in scale brace the middle section of the arches.

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

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

label: Topic

content: arbors

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: trellises

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: gardening

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Trellis

content: Wire

content: 28 × 14 1/4 in. (71.1 × 36.2 cm)

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

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

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

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle. The vase is shaped like an inverted bell with three layers. The widest portion if the vase, the lip, is formed from two repeats of an imitation-granulation design of swirls, teardrop shapes, leaves, and beading. Below the rim are two layers of a repeating pattern of machine-cut designs around a central panel aligned with the shape of its stamped with a floral spray. There is a large hole in the bottommost section of the vase for a floral pin. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The 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.

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

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Silver

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver funnel-shaped bouquet holder with tripod handle. The pierced vase is comprised of six S-shaped scrolls with flower and leaf motifs inside them. The scrolls are resting on three textured leaves alternating with smooth tapered bands. A short length of chain, which would have connected to a floral pin is attached to 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 adorned stylized leaves. Second length of broken chain is attached to the neck and would have connected to ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. 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 spring out, each with a foot at the end for balance. Each panel is stamped with flowers and scrolls.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

label: Medium

content: Silver

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, scroll and leaf motif, tripod</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, SCROLL AND LEAF MOTIF, TRIPOD</I>


label: Date

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The funnel-shaped vase is comprised of pierced Rococo Revival motifs with faint blue and white enamel decoration. Two short lengths of chain are attached to the base of the vase. The first attaches to a floral pin, which would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The second chain 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: 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: Gilt metal, mother of pearl

label: Dimensions

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

content: Rococo Revival

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

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Silver funnel-shaped bouquet holder with curved handle. The pierced vase is comprised of six S-shaped scrolls with flower and leaf motifs inside them. The scrolls are resting on three textured leaves alternating with smooth tapered bands. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle is adorned with applied flowers alternating with filigree leaves. The curved, tubular handle is hand engraved and capped with a ball. A finger ring on a short length of chain is connected so the bouquet holder could be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine at the waist.

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

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 6 × 2 in. (15.2 × 5.1 cm)

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The wreath was the most popular floral design of the nineteenth century and is still commonly used today at funerals, special occasions, and holidays. The wreath could be made in an endless array of styles and combinations from simple to ornate, either tightly arranged or in a loose spray. This allowed the florist to create designs that were either very formal or artistic. The wreath was the most profitable set design for the florist and depending on the size and materials, it ranged in price from $2 to $200, making it appealing to all socioeconomic statuses. Ribbons with inscriptions or lettering might appear on a wreath with phrases or the person's name. The wreath has a longstanding tradition of being used at funerals and was the earliest form of arranged flowers to be used in the funeral in the West. The classic wreath form, which has no end and no beginning, symbolized eternal life, love everlasting, and victory over death. This made it a meaningful choice for funeral tributes. The wreath was appropriate for all genders and ages and was the most frequently ordered sympathy design leading up to the twentieth century. The language of flowers was often applied to these forms, wheat might symbolize old age, oak leaves-strength, marguerites or small roses-an infant’s purity. The wreath was also closely linked to the holidays, and the tradition of hanging a Christmas wreath is followed by many Americans today. American Christmas traditions with plants and flowers are based on a collection of various immigrant traditions brought over from their native cultures. As a result of their plant lore holy, ivy, laurel, pine cones, straw, poinsettia, yule logs, and, most notably, the Christmas tree became tied to the American conception of the holiday. The wreath of holly was both the favorite and most traditional flower frame design, and it was tied with ribbon and berries for a decorative effect. Due to the timing of this holiday, few floral varieties were in bloom, making evergreens and immortelles other popular wreath materials.

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: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 53 × 21 × 21 in. (134.6 × 53.3 × 53.3 cm)

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

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

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

label: Screen Image

label: Thumbnail Image

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


content: ca. 1869-1880

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Designer

content: Henry Jenkins and Sons

content: Silver and gold plated, red brass bouquet holder with fox, grapes, and basket motif and a spade handle. The funnel-shaped vase of the holder is created of two stamped repeats of the pattern, which features a fox perched on volute forms. The howling fox appears in front of vase in a basket-weave pattern with grapes on the vine encircling the lip of the vase. The neck of the vase is stamped with wild foliate motifs atop two acanthus leaves. These leaves flank the join of the spade handle and the point where two twisted curb chains are attached. The first chain connects to pin that would be inserted through a hole in the vase, piercing the stems of a bouquet, and securing them inside. The second chain attaches to ring that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The handle is in a Gothic Revival trefoil shape that incorporates acanthus leaves on the inner and outer surfaces. This vase design matches the English metalwork registration No. 258692, Dec. 14, 1871, Henry Jenkins & Sons, "Ornamental Design to be repeated and continued for Baskets & etc."

label: Mark(s)

content: Registry diamond dates on both sides of the handle below the leaves

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: Bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Red brass, silver and gold plating

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

label: Style

content: Gothic Revival

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

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, fox, grapes, and basket motif</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, FOX, GRAPES, AND BASKET MOTIF</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

content: .001: 24 × 12 × 1 in. (61 × 30.5 × 2.5 cm)

content: .002: 18 × 9 1/2 × 1 in. (45.7 × 24.1 × 2.5 cm)

content: .003 & .004: 16 × 10 × 1 in. (40.6 × 25.4 × 2.5 cm)

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

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

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

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Panel wire frame foundations were used to create large and showy floral arrangements for almost any occasion. The panel was covered with foliage and flowers in decorative designs or in the form of an emblem or other symbol.

label: Label Text

label: Topic

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 28 × 17 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (71.1 × 44.5 × 3.8 cm)

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

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

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