The Language of Flowers

From NarratingLandscapes

By User:Joanna

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Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of the character, though few can decypher even fragments of their meaning.

~Lydia Maria Child, Letters from New York

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The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, is primarily a literary tradition, based on the 'language of flowers' books in Victorian England, France, and America. The language of flowers is rooted in a combination of folklore, literature, mythology, religion, and the physical features of plants.

By the early 1800's, "the language of flowers" was a generally understood phrase in elite European circles. Hand-written lists were circulated in France. In her The Language of Flowers: A History, Beverly Seaton offers a history of the language of flowers books in England, France, and America. She suggests that the first language of flowers book was probably a French version published in 1810.

One of the most identifiable of the language of flower books is an illustrated version by Kate Greenaway[[1]] aptly called The Language of Flowers. Greenaway, a well-known writer and illustrator of children's books, lived in England from 1846 to 1901 and first published her edition of the lexicon 1884. Greenaway's version continues to be reprinted today. The dictionary listings of flower meanings are included in the appendix of the book.

Sources:

http://www.literarycalligraphy.com/books/history.html

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