This is a beautiful Fancy French Label! I love the Black, White and Red combo here and of course the Paris address! This would look really pretty on an old Bottle!
How beautiful! I didn't know what "mouchoir" meant in English, so I looked it up, and it means handkerchief. I assume the "concentrated flower extract" was used to scent ladies' hankies--either to make them smell pretty before use, or to create a wafting aroma around the ladies when tucked in a dress pocket--for the purposes of attracting members of the opposite sex?!
My "assumptions" were wrong. I did some Actual Research and discovered the following about scented hankies in the Victorian era:
--Women carried them to hold against their faces when encountering unpleasant odors.
--They often used lavender-scented ones to revive themselves when feeling faint.
--In the 19th century interest in the symbolism of flowers peaked, in large part due to two books: a flower dictionary, "Le Langage des Fleures", written in 1818 by a Parisian woman named Charlotte de La Tour; and a book entitled "Flower Lore: The Teachings of Flowers, Historical, Legendary, Poetical and Symbolic", written by Miss Carruthers, of Inverness (Scotland) in 1879. It became the standard source for flower symbolism in both England and the U.S.
Victorian gentlemen had to be well-versed in the "meanings" of flowers before sending them to a lady, lest she be given the wrong message!
Interestingly, an item that carried the scent of a particular flower conveyed the same meaning as the flower itself. Such items included **hankies**!!!
So, there you have it--some Real Facts about scented hankies in the Victorian era!; )
Thank you so much for leaving a comment on my blog! Although, I am not able to respond to all of the comments left here, please know that they are always appreciated!! Karen P.S. A note to SPAMMERS - Your comments will be deleted, you are wasting your own valuable time and mine.
That's a great label Karen - thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWow I am in LOVE with this one! I have a project I am putting this on TODAY!
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup pour ces magnifiques images. C'est toujours un plaisir de visiter votre blog et de découvrir vos nouvelles créations. Un petit bonjour de France
ReplyDeleteJ'adore!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! I didn't know what "mouchoir" meant in English, so I looked it up, and it means handkerchief. I assume the "concentrated flower extract" was used to scent ladies' hankies--either to make them smell pretty before use, or to create a wafting aroma around the ladies when tucked in a dress pocket--for the purposes of attracting members of the opposite sex?!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info Pat! I didn't even know there was such a thing, but it makes sense! Kind of like the Linen Spray that we use today I guess.
Delete***RETRACTION***
DeleteMy "assumptions" were wrong. I did some Actual Research and discovered the following about scented hankies in the Victorian era:
--Women carried them to hold against their faces when encountering unpleasant odors.
--They often used lavender-scented ones to revive themselves when feeling faint.
--In the 19th century interest in the symbolism of flowers peaked, in large part due to two books: a flower dictionary, "Le Langage des Fleures", written in 1818 by a Parisian woman named Charlotte de La Tour; and a book entitled "Flower Lore: The Teachings of Flowers, Historical, Legendary, Poetical and Symbolic", written by Miss Carruthers, of Inverness (Scotland) in 1879. It became the standard source for flower symbolism in both England and the U.S.
Victorian gentlemen had to be well-versed in the "meanings" of flowers before sending them to a lady, lest she be given the wrong message!
Interestingly, an item that carried the scent of a particular flower conveyed the same meaning as the flower itself. Such items included **hankies**!!!
So, there you have it--some Real Facts about scented hankies in the Victorian era!; )
xoxo
Hi Karen, Love this label. It would be perfect on a bottle or even a box top.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Hugs, Celestina Marie
Beautiful label thanks Karen.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Maxine
I saw this graphic used on a dresser, but can't figure out how to enlarge it so that it doesn't get grainy. Any hints?
ReplyDeleteLiz