Floriography: The Language of Flowers
General
⁃ means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers
⁃ meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years
⁃ some form of floriography practiced in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa before
⁃ plants and flowers used as symbols in the Hebrew Bible particularly of love and lovers
⁃ flowers often used as symbol of femininity
⁃ In western culture: William Shakespeare ascribed emblematic meanings to flowers (esp. Hamlet)
⁃ Interest in floriography soared in Victorian England + United States during 19th century
⁃ specific floral arrangements used to send coded message to recipient, allowing sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society
⁃ armed with floral dictionaries, Victorians exchanged small „talking bouquets“, called nosegays or tussie-mussies, could be worn/carried as fashion accessory
History
⁃ renewed victorian era interest in language of flowers finds its roots in Ottoman Turkey, specifically court in Constantinople + obsession it held with tulips during first half of 18th century
⁃ Victorian use of flowers as a means of covert communication bloomed alongside growing interest in botany
⁃ floriography craze introduced to Europe by two people: Englishwoman Mary Wortley Montagu brought it to England in 1717, Aubry de La Mottraye who introduced it to Swedish court in 1727
⁃ Joseph Hammer-Purgstall’s Dictionnaire du language des fleurs (1809): first published list associating flowers w./ symbolic definitions, first dictionary of floriography appears in 1819 when Louise Cortambert, writing under pen name Madame Charlotte de la Tour, wrote Le language des Fleurs
⁃ Floriography popularized in France during 1810 – 1850, Britain: popular during the Victorian age (roughly 1820 – 1880), United States: during 1830 – 1850
⁃ British floral dictionaries include Henry Phillips’ Floral Emblems published 1825, Frederic Shoberl’s The Language of Flowers; With Illustrative Poetry, 1834. Shoberl: editor of popular annual „Forget Me Not“ from 1822 to 1834
⁃ Robert Tyas: popular British flower writer, publisher, clergyman, lived 1811–1879; his book, The Sentiment of Flowers; or, Language of Flora, first published 1836, reprinted by various publishing houses at least through 1880, was billed as English version of Charlotte de la Tour’s book
⁃ One of the most familiar books about floriography: Routledge’s edition illustrated by Kate Greenaway, The Language of Flowers. First published 1884, continues to be reprinted
⁃ first appearance of the language of flowers in US in print was in writings of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (French-American naturalist, wrote on-going features under title „The School of Flora“, 1827 through 1828
⁃ first books on floriography: Elizabeth Wirt’s Flora’s Dictionary and Dorothea Dix’s The Garland of Flora, both published 1829
Writings during US peak
⁃ Sarah Josepha Hale edited Flora’s Interpreter in 1832; it continued in print through the 1860s
⁃ Catharine H. Waterman Esling wrote long poem „The Language of Flowers“: first appeared in 1839 in her own language of flowers book, Flora’s Lexicon; continued in print through 1860s
⁃ Lucy Hooper included several of her flower poems in The Lady’s Book of Flowers and Poetry, first published in 1841
⁃ Frances Sargent Osgood (poet + friend of Edgar Allan Poe) first published The Poetry of Flowers and Flowers of Poetry in 1841, continued in print through 1860s, Osgood edited special gift book, The Floral Offering, in 1847
⁃ Sarah Carter Edgarton Mayo’s (author of sev. flower books) book, The Flower Vase, was published in 1844
⁃ edited books Fables of Flora 1844 + The Floral Fortune Teller 1846
⁃ first published 1848, Kirkland’s Poetry of Flowers continued to be in print at least until 1886; 522 pages contain extensive dictionary + numerous flower poems
Meanings
⁃ often, definitions derive from appearance/ behavior of plant itself
⁃ examples:
⁃ mimosa/ sensitive plant represents chastity <= the leaves of the mimosa close at night, or when touched
⁃ deep red rose + thorns have been used to symbolize: blood of christ/ intensity of romantic love, while rose’s five petals are thought to illustrate 5 crucifixion wounds of christ
⁃ pink roses imply lesser affection, white roses suggest virtue/ chastity, yellow roses stand for friendship/ devotion
⁃ black rose has association with death/ dark magic
⁃ placement of flowers was important
⁃ e.g.: cleavage of bosom= friendship, over heart= unambiguous deceleration of love
⁃ later authors create lists that associate birthday flower to each day of year
Literature
⁃ William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charlotte + Emily Brontë, Frances Hodgson Burnett, among others, used language of flowers in their writings
⁃ Shakespeare used word „flower“ 100 times+ in plays & sonnets
⁃ In J. K. Rowling’s 1997 novel HP and the Philosopher‘s Stone, Prof Severus Snape uses lang. of flowers to express regret and mourning for death of Lily Potter
⁃ Chuck Palahniuk’s 1999 novel Survivor features discussion of Victorian flower language
⁃ In 2009, Vanessa Diffenbaugh published NYT-bestselling novel centered on floriography, The Language of Flowers + flower dictionary
⁃ In poetic anthology Vivere e non vivere (2018) by Italian writer Sabrina Gatti, Julie, the protagonist, is identified in the Lilium or in the Hydrangea, using the language of flowers, a topic to which the same writer in 2019 dedicates an essay entitled Florigrafia. Il linguaggio dei fiori.
⁃ Hajime Isayama frequently used flowers for symbolism & foreshadowing in manga series Attack on Titan, also includes Hanakotoba (花言葉) = Japanese form of floriography
⁃ sev. Anglican churches in England have paintings, sculpture, stained glass windows of lily crucifix, depicting Christ crucified on or holding lily
⁃ John Everett Millais used oils to create pieces filled with naturalistic elements and rich in floriography, painting Ophelia (1852) depicts Shakespeare’s drowned stargazer floating amid the flowers she describes in Act IV, Scene V of Hamlet
⁃ Edwardian artist John Singer Sargent frequently utilized floral symbolism, first major success came 1887, w./ Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, of two young girls lighting lanterns in an English garden.
⁃ Contemporary artist Whitney Lynn’s previous work: Memorial Bouquet, utilizing floral symbolism for the San Francisco Arts Commision Gallery. Based on Dutch Golden Age still-life. painting, the flowers in the arrangement represent countries that have been sites of US Military operations and conflicts
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_of_flowers
