label: Date

content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: It was common for social or business organizations to send flowers to the funerals of deceased members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Flowers were sent by friendly and fraternal societies, temperance leagues, social clubs, veteran’s organization, and worker’s unions, among others. The floral tributes were often set pieces patterned after the emblem of the organization or club with flowers and ribbons in their colors. Designs had to be recognizable, thus accuracy was important for the florist, each flower frame must be made to an exact shape and carefully arranged with flowers in the appropriate colors. Depending on the size of the floral recreation, elements might be added or subtracted while maintaining an accurate overall impression of the emblem. In addition to the organization’s emblem recreated on flower frames, many of their other symbols, or assemblages of multiple symbols were recreated out of wire frames for floral arrangements. Emblem set pieces were also used for organizational functions other than just funerals, such as private ceremonies or special events sponsored by the group. Organizational emblem frames often comprised a significant portion of floral frame trade catalogs. The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is an American labor union founded in 1890 in Columbus, Ohio. The UMWA was formed when two labor groups, he Knights of Labor Trade Assembly No. 135 and the National Progressive Miners Union merged. The floral emblem for the United Mine Workers of America features “UMW of A” on five wires within a circle.

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: 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: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 20 × 20 × 1 1/2 in. (50.8 × 50.8 × 3.8 cm)

content: <I>Wire frame, U.M.W. of A. emblem</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, U.M.W. OF A. EMBLEM</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Wire frame, U.M.W. of A. emblem</I>


unitCode: HAC

type: edanmdm

content: ca. 1879-1962

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

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

label: Label Text

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

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

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 27 × 14 1/2 × 8 1/2 in. (68.6 × 36.8 × 21.6 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, Masonic emblem on stand</I>

unit_code: HAC

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

data_source: Smithsonian Gardens

type: Images

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver plated bouquet holder with curved handle. The curvaceous vase is comprised of five pierced panels with a Rococo Revival design featuring flowers, leaves and scrolls. Two short lengths of chain are attached to the base of the vase. The first attaches to a floral pin, which would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The second chain terminates in a ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The handle is curved with linear and foliate details in terminates in a curl.

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: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver plated

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

place: England Birmingham

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

type: City

content: Birmingham

type: Country

content: England

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

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


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The curvaceous vase is comprised of openwork scrolls and foliate forms and set with two large, red glass stones. The spindle handle is made from turned mother of pearl with a gold band near the tip. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

label: Label Text

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

content: 5 1/2 × 2 in. (14 × 5.1 cm)

content: Renaissance Revival

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

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

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

label: Thumbnail Image


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded copper cornucopia or horn of plenty bouquet holder. The cornucopia shape is designed so that the vase and handle are all one. It has a wide, trumpet-like mouth with a surface of smooth copper that curves at the end. Attached to the underside of the lip is a looped-head cotter pin attached by a round-linked chain. A second chain is attached to the tail of the bouquet holder that connects to a ring. This ring allowed the bouquet holder to be worn about the finger or clasped at the waist to a chatelaine. This bouquet holder also has a stand with an elaborate spring mechanism. The legs are released by sliding the lever on the back. This would allow the bouquet holder to act as a free standing table or mantle ornament.

label: Inscription(s)

content: "E.S.M. 1 Jan 1864" above legs

content: Great Britain, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: copper

content: gilding

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded copper

content: 4 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. (11.4 × 7 cm)

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

content: Great Britain

object_type:
Bouquet holders
Copper (metal)

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Nickel silver(?)-plated copper bouquet holder with spade handle. The vase is comprised of two repeats of a grape and leaves pattern. The smooth surface of the grapes is off set by the textured leaves in the design. The neck of the vase is stamped with wild foliate motifs atop two acanthus leaves. These leaves flank the join of the spade handle. The spade handle is in a Gothic Revival trefoil shape that incorporates acanthus leaves on the inner and outer surfaces, which was stamped in two parts.

label: Mark(s)

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

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Copper, nickle silver (?)

label: Dimensions

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

content: Gothic Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

label: Title

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

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

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


label: Date

content: ca. 1880

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: fire axes

content: firefighters

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 25 × 7 × 1 in. (63.5 × 17.8 × 2.5 cm)

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

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

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


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with glass handle. The pierced vase has Gothic Revival architectural designs incorporating a colonnade with window-like openings and serrated rim. The green glass is spiraled with a delicate chain within the spaces. The handle is capped with a two-tiered gold finial. Attached to the tip is a chain that is anchored to the side of the vase and terminates 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.

label: Label Text

label: Origin

content: Great Britain, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: glass

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, glass

content: 4 1/2 × 1 1/4 in. (11.4 × 3.2 cm)

label: Style

content: Gothic Revival

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

content: Great Britain

content: <I>Bouquet holder, green and gold handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, GREEN AND GOLD HANDLE</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with straight handle and tripod feet. The vase of the bouquet holder is formed from intertwining leaves and thick vines. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, has a decorative skirt and connects to a length of chain attached to a ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The handle is columnar with applied leaves at the top and bottom. Below are three silver oak leaves which are extended to form the stand when a ball-shaped extension of the stem is pushed up forcing the leaves into a horizontal position. This would allow the bouquet holder to act as a free-standing table or mantle ornament.

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

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

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

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Vase incorporates gold and silver metalwork in the design. Typical of the Rococo Revival style of the period, gilt curvilinear forms with applied silver ‘S’ and ‘C’ scrolls and rocaille forms make up the vase. Purple stones (likely amethyst) are set at the top and middle section of the vase. Within a vertical pin is meant to lock in the bouquet in place. The vase is connected to the spindle handle by a series of shells around the base. The handle is ornately decorated with incised motifs typical of Rococo decoration. A pin on a chain is connected to this point can be inserted through the vase to further secure the flowers. A ring on a chain also connects here, which could be worn on the finger or clipped on a chatelaine to free the lady's hands while dancing. A third length of chain connects to a finial at the end of the handle. When removed the handle becomes a tripod which allows the bouquet holder to be free standing, and when secured together by the finial, the three appendages act as a straight handle. Tripod designs such as this were suitable both as a personal ornament and fashion accessory or as a table decoration.

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

content: 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

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Gilded metal, silver, amethyst

label: Dimensions

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

content: Rococo Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

content: <I>Bouquet holder, tripod with purple stones</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, TRIPOD WITH PURPLE STONES</I>


label: Date

content: ca. 1830-1920

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: This vase is made up of six feathers splaying outward that create a lily-like cup. Each of the feathers has a central vein running up the plume with etched diagonal lines that extend to the jagged edges of the feather. The smooth spine contrasts with the pebbly surface of the barbs of the feather. These alternate with short segments bent at their tops. A pin without its chain is inserted through two holes in the vase in order to secure the flowers inside. The vase connects to the handle with two registers of curved feathers that are simpler than those of the bowl. The curved, tubular handle is hand engraved and capped with a ball. A double-rimmed knurled finger ring on a curb chain is connected so the bouquet holder could be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine at the waist.

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

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 5 1/16 × 2 1/2 in. (12.9 × 6.4 cm)

content: Birmingham

content: England

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, feathers in tulip shape</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, FEATHERS IN TULIP SHAPE</I>

label: High-resolution TIFF


content: ca. 1879-1962

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

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

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

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: stars

content: wire

content: 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 × 10 × 6 1/2 in. (55.9 × 25.4 × 16.5 cm)

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

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image


content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The scroll or roll of honor was often used for men in the prime of life and was often covered with ivy and an inscription or emblem in flowers. “Rest” was a popular inscription for the scroll because of the comfort and wide-spread appeal of the associations of death and sleep. This design was also adapted to the funerals of members of the armed forces. 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 American flags, eagles, and many other designs were also displayed in shop windows and at ceremonies for holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day. These designs remained popular into the twentieth century.

label: Label Text

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

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: scrolls (information artifacts)

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 29 × 12 × 6 in. (73.7 × 30.5 × 15.2 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, honor roll</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, HONOR ROLL</I>

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Wire frame, honor roll</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded metal bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The vase is composed of enameled leaves and grape clusters intertwined with four tooled loops that attach to the ring-shaped neck, which connects the vase to the handle. Attached to the neck are two short lengths of chain. The first 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 second chain connects to a ring. The ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The spindle handle is made from a luminescent mother of pearl. It has been turned, creating rings and bands as it tapers to a point. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

label: Topic

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded metal, mother of pearl

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Ceramic aquarium in the Rustic style. The tank is set on four legs, with each framing device meant to resemble a log with branches freshly removed, as indicated by beige and brown ring marks. Despite the use of the Rustic style, which derives its charm from the irregularity of nature, the design for this aquarium is entirely symmetrical. Originally a simple glass container, these cases evolved to suit the Victorian taste for decoration. They were made in all shapes, sizes, and styles, such as Gothic Revival, Neo-Grec, Rococo Revival, and Rustic. Cases were often finished with gilding or enamel, as suited to the design and budget of home, and could be made to look like miniature buildings such as churches and famous houses. Often placed on their own decorative stand, these cases became status symbols of the fashionable drawing room. Rustic style was immensely popular in the Victorian era, and the height of its popularity occurred between 1840 and 1890. Rustic objects share a common aesthetic of being artfully assembled with materials harvested directly from nature to create a variety of furnishings and decorative objects for the home and garden. Rustic furnishings and accessories were thought to be especially suited to the garden, as they blended in with the natural landscapes. Rustic materials and motifs include tree branches, twigs, roots, burls, bark, pinecones, acorns, seashells, animal horns, and antlers. Rustic designs were often constructed from found objects or were cast or carved to appear like these articles. Rustic objects were usually irregular and asymmetrical to mimic the forms that would occur in nature. Rustic designs could be made following instructions in contemporary publications, but the popularity of the style led to the mass production of Rustic style pieces.

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

content: aquariums (containers)

content: case furniture

content: cases (containers)

content: ceramic

content: ferneries (greenhouses)

content: glass

content: plate glass

content: terrariums

content: Wardian cases

content: Garden ornaments and furniture

content: indoor gardening

content: Rustic

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Aquariums

content: Glass gardens

content: Ceramic, glaze, plate glass

content: 10 1/2 × 18 × 9 1/2 in. (26.7 × 45.7 × 24.1 cm)

content: Rustic

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

object_type:
Glass gardens
Aquariums (containers)

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Sterling silver, cone-shaped bouquet holder, which tapers slightly to flat base. A flat back with safety clasp for attaching to clothing. This small bouquet holder could be worn as a brooch or boutonniere.

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: Inscription(s)

content: Incised on back: SW STERLING.

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: brooches

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: jewelry

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Silver

label: Dimensions

content: 2 in. (5.1 cm)

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

content: <I>Bouquet holder, cone shape</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, CONE SHAPE</I>

title: <I>Bouquet holder, cone shape</I>


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with mother of pearl handle. The narrow vase is composed of four stamped repeats of a grape clusters and leaves design that is partially textured. A floral pin with a loop end is attached by a chain to the base of vase and there is a hole for it on the opposite side. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. A second length of the fine, round-link chain attaches a ring to the holder at the same 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 neck, which connect the vase to the handle, is urn shaped with a smooth surface. The handle is mother of pearl which flattens out at the base and is carved in the shape of a flower with its leaves. Mother of pearl handles retained a cool feeling longer than some other materials; because of this, they were said to be appropriate for warmer months.

label: Origin

content: Great Britain, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: mother of pearl

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver, mother of pearl

content: 5 3/4 × 1 in. (14.6 × 2.5 cm)

content: Naturalism

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

content: Great Britain

label: Title

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF


content: ca. 1879-1962

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: The stopped clock flower frame was one of the symbols of mortality, collectively referred to as memento mori (meaning remember you will die), that were used to remind of the brevity of life on earth and encourage living a good life. Instead of a direct, explicit reference to death, such as the skull or skeleton, the clock was used to evoke the mortal condition of mankind and time running out. The stopped clock flower frame was most suitable for men in the prime life. This design was also based on the ritual of stopping the clocks when a person dies. The clock would then be restarted after the burial. This custom continued well into the twentieth century and is still practiced by some today. The time on the clock flower frame was significant of the time of death. In these floral designs, a white face indicated that the time of death was before noon, and a purple face meant it had occurred after noon.

label: Label Text

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: ceremonies

content: clocks

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 29 × 14 × 6 in. (73.7 × 35.6 × 15.2 cm)

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

content: <I>Wire frame, stopped clock</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, STOPPED CLOCK</I>

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Wire frame, stopped clock</I>


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: In mourning symbolism, symbols of rest and peace were popular and consoling options. The pillow was symbolic of comfort, peace, and rest. Because of its domestic connotations, it was also indicative of family and home. Historically, this frame design was one of the most popular set pieces, and it was considered appropriate for all ages and genders. The most frequently used frame size was 16 x 24 inches. While the form of the pillow was simple, florists could use considerable variation in making it up. Inscriptions were frequently applied to the pillow design, and the pillow was frequently chosen when the sender wanted to have a word or phrase included in their arrangement. “Rest” or “At Rest” were the two most common inscriptions for the pillow. Other options included the name of the deceased, or script to indicate the relation of the deceased to the sender, such as “Father,” “Mother,” “Son,” “Daughter,” “Sister,” “Brother,” “Aunt,” “Uncle,” or “Baby.” One of the most popular inscriptions for the pillow among Christians was “Asleep in Jesus.” It was considered especially sentimental on the frames made for the funerals of young children.

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: symbols

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 14 1/2 × 11 × 8 1/2 in. (36.8 × 27.9 × 21.6 cm)

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

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

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

label: Thumbnail Image

title: <I>Wire frame, pillow on stand</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: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: Maltese crosses

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

content: Wire

content: 14 × 14 × 1 in. (35.6 × 35.6 × 2.5 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. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: It was common for social or business organizations to send flowers to the funerals of deceased members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Flowers were sent by friendly and fraternal societies, temperance leagues, social clubs, veteran’s organization, and worker’s unions, among others. The floral tributes were often set pieces patterned after the emblem of the organization or club with flowers and ribbons in their colors. Designs had to be recognizable, thus accuracy was important for the florist, each flower frame must be made to an exact shape and carefully arranged with flowers in the appropriate colors. Depending on the size of the floral recreation, elements might be added or subtracted while maintaining an accurate overall impression of the emblem. In addition to the organization’s emblem recreated on flower frames, many of their other symbols, or assemblages of multiple symbols were recreated out of wire frames for floral arrangements. Emblem set pieces were also used for organizational functions other than just funerals, such as private ceremonies or special events sponsored by the group. Organizational emblem frames often comprised a significant portion of floral frame trade catalogs. The Order of United American Mechanics (OUAM) is an American fraternal order that was founded in Philadelphia in 1844-45. The emblem of the OUAM is a square and compasses with and arm holding a hammer in the middle.

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 24 × 21 × 21 in. (61 × 53.3 × 53.3 cm)

content: <I>Wire frame, A.O.U.W. emblem on folding stand</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, A.O.U.W. EMBLEM ON FOLDING STAND</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with loop handle. The repousse vase features a pierced design including three winged putti intertwined with roses, leaves, and other flowers. The curved handle is formed from a stamped design of scrolling foliage that flares off the main body. The handle ends in a closed loop the reaches the midpoint of this ornate handle. A ring connected to a short length of chain is attached so the bouquet holder could either be worn on the finger or connected to waist on chatelaine to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

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

label: Style

content: Rococo Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

label: Title

content: <I>Bouquet holder, classical figures</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, CLASSICAL FIGURES</I>


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Small cornucopia-shaped bouquet holder of gilded brass. The vase is comprised of six repeats of a flower and leaf pattern with a textured surface of incised lines. The rim of the vase is encircled with an undulating ribbon of stamped gilded brass. Within the vase are remnants of four prongs that would have secured the bouquet inside the holder. The neck, which connects the vase to the handle, is adorned with a pair of stamped thistles. The handle was formed from a single sheet of brass stamped with a hexagon pattern. The handle tapers and curls upward forming a loop that is completed by an acorn. A ring, which connects a round-link chain and foliate finger ring, is attached to the looped portion of the handle. The finger ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

label: Label Text

content: Great Britain, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Gilded brass

content: 3 1/2 × 1 in. (8.9 × 2.5 cm)

content: Aesthetic Movement

content: Great Britain

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF


content: ca. 1880

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.

label: Topic

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: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 31 × 12 × 7 in. (78.7 × 30.5 × 17.8 cm)

topic:
Funerary objects
Frame components
Floral designers
Floral decorations
Floral frames
Crosses (objects)
Societies
Wire
Associations
Floral Accessories
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: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Brass vase and handle. The vase of the bouquet holder is made of an openwork design incorporating oak leaves and acorns. The leaves are designed with realistic features that incorporate jagged edges and viening. Thin wires connect to each of the acorns and leaves to mimic branches. The base of the vase is shaped like the top of an acorn. Two chains made of large open links that connect a pin and ring are attached to the acorn top. The pin would be inserted through the vase in order to secure the flowers in place. The chain with the ring allowed the bouquet holder to be worn on the finger or attached to the waist on a chateliane. The straight handle, also of brass, is textured to create the appearance of a wooden branch. A smooth wire spirals up the shaft coming from the base of the shaft which is modled after an acorn.

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

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: brass (alloy)

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: acorn

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Brass

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

content: Aesthetic Movement

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

content: <I>Bouquet holder, oak leaf & acorn motif</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, OAK LEAF & ACORN MOTIF</I>

label: Thumbnail Image


label: Date

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Gilded brass and enamel bouquet holder with bone handle. The vase comprised of multiple elements stamped in four repeats and partially enameled in white, green, blue, black, and red. Each side includes decorative crest over a large medallion, ornately decorated and inlaid with a small glass “gem” alternating between orange and blue. Below the medallion, a bow is centered with a spiraling ribbon connecting to the base. Between each face, a wire element extends the length of the vase and is topped by a rounded six-petaled flower. Near the bottom of the vase, a loop-ended floral pin is connected by a round link chain. The pin would be inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The vase attaches to the handle with six petals textured with crisscrossing lines and droops over the neck band. The spindle handle is short and carved from bone.

content: bone

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Gilded brass, bone

label: Dimensions

content: 5 1/4 × 1 in. (13.3 × 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
Bone

content: <I>Bouquet holder, blue and orange beads with bone handle</I>

title_sort: <I>BOUQUET HOLDER, BLUE AND ORANGE BEADS WITH BONE HANDLE</I>


content: ca. 1880

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The practice of using flowers at weddings is a time-honored tradition across cultures and religions. In the nineteenth century in America, wedding ceremonies were generally held in the bride’s home, and the floral arrangements were the primary form decoration. Set pieces such as a suspended bell, ox yoke, lock and key, lover’s knots, and monograms were popular wedding designs created using wire forms and were usually the most impressive arrangements. The set pieces were placed in the most visible locations, such as in front of mirrors or over the fireplace, and they were hung from the ceiling in doorways and archways of the bay window or elevated on the mantle. A bell of fresh flowers was frequently used to designate the place where the wedding ceremony would take place. The bell would often have ribbons, streamers, and even garlands of flowers hanging down or radiating out from it or the clapper might be replaced with a dove holding orange blossoms in its beak. The bell flower frame was also popular for church holidays and special occasions, especially at Christmas time.

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: bells and sets of bells

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: holidays

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 31 × 21 × 21 in. (78.7 × 53.3 × 53.3 cm)

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

label: Title

content: <I>Wire frame, bell with clapper</I>

title_sort: <I>WIRE FRAME, BELL WITH CLAPPER</I>

title: <I>Wire frame, bell with clapper</I>


content: ca. 1894-1958

label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

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

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 16 1/2 × 15 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (41.9 × 39.4 × 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
Emblems

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

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

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


content: ca. 1860-1940

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: The Bible was a popular adaptation for funeral flower frames. A book in mourning symbolism represented a scholar, the Bible, or the Book of Life. This floral tribute was meant to call attention to the deceased person’s religion and be a testament to their beliefs. The book ranged in sizes and might be open or closed. It often included a ribbon book marker with a favorite verse on it. The Bible was sometimes combined with other floral frames, such as the wreath or cross. It was a suitable design for any age individual of the Christian faith, both male and female. The book flower frame could also be interpreted as the Book of Life. In the Christian tradition, the Book of Life was a ledger of the deeds of the righteous and contained the names of those who would be granted entrance to Kingdom of Heaven. This flower frame was a favorite device for chronicling the name of the deceased, or the open page could also be inscribed with "He Giveth His Beloved Sleep", "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth", and "He Giveth Victory.” When portrayed with an open book, the design was appropriate for the funeral of any Christian. However, when closed, this design represented a completed life, and was, therefore, more suited to the elderly. In addition to the name, a popular inscription for the Book of Life could be “Finis.”

label: Label Text

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: holidays

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: weddings

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 16 × 14 × 10 in. (40.6 × 35.6 × 25.4 cm)

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF


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 primary emblem of the Masons was the square and compass, said to be symbolic of the interaction between mind and matter, inside of which is the letter G, symbolic of either God or geometry. Additional designs for the Masonic ceremonies and funerals included the Maltese cross, Keystone, Masonic Bible, banner, and scroll of honor.

label: Topic

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: secret societies

content: societies

content: symbols

content: wirework

label: See more items in

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection.

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

content: Wire

content: 25 × 24 × 1 in. (63.5 × 61 × 2.5 cm)

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

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

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

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Cast silver bouquet holder with silver beadwork. The vase of the bouquet holder incorporated a Greek key motif that is set at an angle. Below this geometric design the rest of the vase is designed in curvilinear scrolls and issuing from central lines around the circumference of the vase. Both the scrolls and Greek key designs have applied silver beadwork tracing their forms. At the base of the vase a pin on a chain is attached, which could be inserted through the vase and stems of flowers to secure a bouquet in place. At this point the bouquet holder also has a ring connected to a chain attached to it. The ring allowed the bouquet holder to be worn on the finger or attached to a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The bouquet holder has a straight, spindle handle, which has applied beadwork and smooth surfaces within inverted pointed arches. The tip of the handle is patterned with gothic motifs and is crowned with a single silver bead at the point. This mixture of classical and gothic motifs is representative of the interest in historicism which characterizes much of nineteenth century 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

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 5 1/2 × 2 in. (14 × 5.1 cm)

label: Style

content: Renaissance Revival

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

title: <I>Bouquet holder, Greek key motif</I>


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with feathers and straight handle. The vase is hand-engraved and machine cut. It is formed by six feathers with a pebbled texture. On the lower half of opposite faces of two feathers are holes for a floral pin. The pin would have been inserted through the vase to pierce the stems of a bouquet in order to secure the flowers inside the holder. The base of the vase is formed by six feathers bent into a spherical shape. The handle is long and straight with an engraved, textured leaf entwined around the shaft. It terminates with a cap formed by six petals. A curb chain attaches a double-rimmed ring to the end of the holder that would allow the bouquet holder to be worn from the finger or on a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing.

content: 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

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

label: Accession number

label: Type

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

content: 7 × 1 in. (17.8 × 2.5 cm)

content: Aesthetic Movement

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: Thumbnail Image

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


label: Date

content: ca. 1879-1962

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

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

content: emblems (symbols)

content: Floral frames

content: frame components

content: wire

content: associations

content: ceremonies

content: columns (architectural elements)

content: decorations

content: Floral Accessories

content: Floral decorations

content: floral designers

content: Flower arrangement

content: funerals

content: funerary objects

content: symbols

content: wirework

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

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

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Floral frames

label: Restrictions & Rights

label: Medium

content: Wire

label: Dimensions

content: 42 × 15 1/2 × 15 1/2 in. (106.7 × 39.4 × 39.4 cm)

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

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

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

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


label: Period

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

label: Description

content: Cone-shaped wicker bouquet holder with no attachment for wearing. Accessories made of wicker were extremely popular from the 1850s to the early 1900s. Wicker is comprised of woven rattan, willow, bamboo, or other imported or local grasses over a hard wood or metal frame.

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: tussie-mussies

content: wicker

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Data Source

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Wicker

content: 3 × 1/2 in. (7.6 × 1.3 cm)

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

label: Title

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

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

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


content: ca. 1869

content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Cone-shaped vase and handle made of silver in the Gothic Revival style of the Victorian era. The vase of this posy holder is designed with incised medallions alternating between patterned and smooth surfaces that create a Gothic arch motif around that vase. A bulge with incised line patterning surrounds the top of the vase just below the lip, which is beaded. The vase connects to the handle at in a stepped sequence of rings and swells. The central swell at this point mimics the pattern around the bulge at the top of the vase. A pin on a chain is connected to his point that would be inserted into the vase, in order to secure the flowers in place. The straight handle culminates in as swell where a ring on a chain is attached. This ring would allow the bouquet holder to be worn about the finger or attached to a chatelaine at the waist to free the lady's hands while dancing. The handle is ornamented with incised lines which extend from medallion shapes surrounding a basket weave motif at the base of the handle. Surfaces are embossed with scrolls and foliate motifs.

label: Label Text

label: Mark(s)

content: Country of Origin: Lion passant (England)

content: City/Region of Origin: Crown (Sheffield)

content: Date letter: B within hexagon (1869)

content: Makers Mark: S?R

content: Duty Mark: Queen Victoria in profile within an octagon

content: Sheffield, England

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

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

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

content: Gothic Revival

place: Sheffield England

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

content: Sheffield

content: England

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

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

label: High-resolution TIFF

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


content: Victorian (1837-1901)

content: Silver bouquet holder with curved handle. The vase is composed of a crown-like cup made of overlapping silver leaves show the veins of the leaves. A short length of chain attaches the vase 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. A second, and smaller overlapping set of leaves forms the base of cup. Three silver flowers spring from the stem alternating with three tapered leaves. The curved, tubular handle is hand engraved and capped with a ball.

label: Origin

content: Birmingham, England, possibly

content: bouquet holders

content: bouquetiers

content: porte-bouquets

content: porte-fleurs

content: Posy holders

content: silver

content: tussie-mussies

content: costume accessories

content: decorative arts

content: fashion

content: Victoriana

content: Horticultural Artifacts Collection

label: Credit Line

content: Smithsonian Gardens

content: Bouquet holders

content: Silver

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

label: Style

content: Aesthetic Movement

content: Birmingham

content: England

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

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

label: High-resolution JPEG

label: Screen Image

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