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THE VICTORIANS AND THEIR FLOWERS

By Nicolette Scourse

THE VICTORIANS AND THEIR FLOWERS

By Nicolette Scourse

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Description
The appreciation of flowers and 'nature' interestingly mirrored the structure and the prejudices of Victorian society. Floral pursuits flourished against - indeed, perhaps because of - the rapid growth of industry and urban development. Growing, collecting and naming plants played an important part in fashionable society, crossing social as well as intellectual barriers and included among its enthusiasts, sentimental ladies, serious men of science, fashion seekers, explorers, gardeners and professionanl writers. In nineteenth-century drawing rooms flowers became allegories of vice and virtue, a means of 'useful and elegant study' - even counters in botanical parlour game. Flowers were used to convey messages of love; as memorials of 'the departed' and even as status symbols in the home and garden. The widepsread interest in flowers was a legacy from the previous century when almost 9000 new plants were introduced into the British Isles. These new discoveries gave Victorians a taste for the exotic; elaborate water gardens, floral contrivances of shells or seeds, or glass domes packed with wax and feather flowers. At the same time there was many a profusion of botanical drawing books, many of them delicately drawn and beautifully coloured illustrations. A combination of authoritative botanical informations and fascinating social history is offered in this text which is richly illustrated by pictures of Victorian floral extravaganzas and reproductions from contemporary sketch books and the exquisite volumes of botanical plates. It is clear that the Victorians has an extraordinary and complex passion for flowers and this original book covers a spectrum of ideas and interpretations. It is wide ranging in its appeal, offering interesting variety to the general reader while specialists will find a wealth of solid botanical information.
Product details
Publication Date:
1983
Publisher:
Croom Helm
Languages:
Published: English
ISBN10:
0709923775
Weight:
454 g
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