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<I>Wire frame, heart</I>

Heart floral designs came in a variety of styles and sizes, and it could be an open design or filled-in with flowers. The heart was popular at romantic occasions, such as weddings, anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day. 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. The heart flower arrangement was also a common option for the funeral in the nineteenth century. The basic heart design could also be modified to suggest a broken heart with a zigzag or crack dividing it in two. It could also be changed into a bleeding heart with cascading red roses from a point in the center. Both designs represented intense loss and sorrow over the death of a loved one.

Date

ca. 1879-1962

Type

Floral frames

Medium

Wire

Department

HAC

Institution

Smithsonian Gardens

Object number

hac_1979.011.066

Credit

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