Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers

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Flowers are the perfect way to celebrate an accomplishment or a milestone, such as graduation or a birthday. For spring celebrations, the daffodil is a fantastic choice. They symbolize hard work, enthusiasm, and eagerness. Bluebell — For context as to why this one is of interest to me, my tumblr main contains this flower in it. I never knew the meaning of this flower. It has two meanings humility and faithfulness. But I really just think they are pretty. The porte-bouquet fad caught on in England a little later in the 1700s or early 1800s, but the tiny handheld flower vase was called a tussie-mussie. From there, it spread to other European countries and eventually the USA. Ancient Egyptian culture: Daffodils were found near graves in Egypt and might have been associated with death. One of the earliest English books to be be published about the language of flowers was 1825 ‘Floral Emblems, or A Guide to the language of flowers’ by British botanist, horticultural writer and gardener Henry Phillips. Phillips drew on classical literature, Shakespearian associations, earlier French floriographies and his own imagination to give meanings to different breeds and colours of flowers. Many other writers followed him, and the list of supposed meanings grew over the century. Different writers gave plants different meanings, so for instance the rose represents beauty, but according to different writers a white rose can either represent innocence, silence, a Holy death or that someone was worthy of another person.

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John Singer Sargent included flowers in many works during the same era, including Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. The works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti also featured flowers, such as Sancta Lilias and Monna Pomona . Floriography Today With thanks to my supervisor, Dr Ana Parejo Vadillo, who introduced me to floriographyand the language of flowers. Thrift or armeria symbolizes sympathy in floriography. These purple-pink flowers may be hard to find, but they add a beautiful color and texture to any sympathy bouquet. The most famous of these French flower books was “ Le language des fleurs”(the language of flowers), published in 1819 by Louise Cortambert under the penname of Madame Charlotte de la Tour.The Victorian era was awash with illicit glances, unspoken longing, and repressed emotion. Yet few periods have birthed the kind of artistry it saw. Nowhere was this more evident than the literary world: the scandalous tales of Byron faded into the distance, making way for the rhythmic verse and potent imagery of Tennyson. Another artistic revolution was imminent – modern floristry was taking its first, tentative steps, with the emergence of tussie-mussies, nosegay bouquets, and more. The flowers also functioned as a type of deodorant, masking the unpleasant odours of life and body. Assigning meanings to flowers isn’t a new concept, and although the English probably coined the term floriography, they didn’t invent it. In the 1700s and 1800s, people lived in an ultra reserved society with super strict social rules. Good manners meant flirting, and expressing your feelings overtly was frowned upon. Different cultures have been associating different meanings and symbols with flowers and plants for thousands of years.

Floriography: The Language of Flowers in the Victorian Era Floriography: The Language of Flowers in the Victorian Era

Flowers play an important role for Hindus. The prayer rite of puja stems from the word for flower and often involves offering flowers to the gods. For instance, the lotus symbolizes purity, wealth, and good fortune, while marigolds stand for love. Floriography in Eastern Cultures These charming and compact flower books were a cross between an almanac about plants and flowers, a dictionary of flowers and their associated meaning, floral poetry, prose, fables and natural history. They were coffee table-worthy and usually very compact so that they could be carried around. Buddhism contains references to flowers. The lotus is a symbol of enlightenment and rebirth. Flowers are suitable temple decorations and offerings, including roses, frangipani, orchids, and white and yellow marigolds. Floriography isn't a comprehensive book since it only covers fifty known flowers although many are quite well-known to even those who may have limited plant knowledge. As such readers of all grades will find something worth reading about when they open this book. For centuries, peonies have been associated with feelings of shame. A nosegay of these fluffy flowers says that you’re feeling ashamed for what happened and that you want to make it right.

A Bouquet for New Beginnings — Crocus for youthful glee, Daisy for innocence and childhood purity, Lilac for first love, Baby's breath for purity and innocence and Wheat for riches fastened with a yellow tassel Because the star-shaped, white edelweiss blooms high in the Alps, collecting the blossoms in a dangerous task. For this reason, procuring edelweiss for your lover was thought to be a feat of great courage and devotion. — Jessica Roux (the origin for Edelweiss) Pink flowers send a message of affection, sweetness, and warmth. They’re a great choice to indicate friendship, love, and gratitude. In Thailand, pink is associated with trust, while in China, pink flowers are associated with good fortune. Blue The veil was fastened with a bunch of tiny sprays of orange blossom mingled with cypress and laurel — a strange combination. Its sweet intoxicating odour floated up to my nostrils. It and the sentiment which its very presence evoked made me quiver.” (Bram Stoker, p. 188).