18.00 USD
We feel extraordinarily fortunate today, to be sharing this bit of history with you. This is one of our quiet little treasures, all the more precious somehow, because of its seeming insignificance. On the face of things, this seems a fairly common sort of card, at least they were common enough at the turn of the 19th to 20th century: a photographic cameo of a beautiful woman, usually a well known artiste (this one looking a bit like Paule Delys, but not enough for us to feel certain...), laid into a beautifully colored card, decorated with embossed flowers. But what variety of flower? And did it really matter? Oh yes, indeed it did!
In the "language of flowers," every bloom carried with it a sentiment, or told a story. A bouquet of flowers, depending upon the combination of varieties present and their arrangement, could tell a story, or send a detailed message.
In Ravel's 1911 short ballet "Adelaide, ou la Langage des Fleurs," The Russian dancer Trouhanova both produced the ballet and performed the part of Adelaide, who, for example, received from one suitor a sunflower (which signified empty riches), and with it a diamond necklace. Upon another suitor, she bestowed a poppy (suggesting that he should "forget" his love for her), but later, to the man who gave her the sunflower, she offers only the acacia (symbolic of platonic affection), dashing his hopes, and finally, coming to her decision, gives the lover, to whom she had earlier given a poppy, a red, red rose, which, as anyone knows, symbolizes her true love. :) Remember, this was a ballet. The symbolic meaning of the flowers was not expressed verbally, but already known to the audience of that time.
Attaching symbolic, magical and yes, divinatory, meanings (he loves me, he loves me not) to flowers, dates back probably thousands of years, spans the globe, and of course, just as one might be said to be "green" with envy in Philadelphia PA, or "yellow" with envy, in Berlin, the symbolism of a particular blossom, or bud, can differ from one place and time, to another.
Here at Red Poulaine, the place and time upon which we focus, more than any other, is France, during that period known as la Belle Epoque, and this card gives us a wonderful window through which we can see and experience a little of that time and place, from the perspective of someone who lived it.
On the face of this card was written the words, " Fleurs de Pommier," and "Discorde," or Apple Blossoms, and Discord. Carefully tipped onto the back of the card, written on both sides of a carefully folded sheet of paper, is a fairly long letter in which the author tells the story of the Judgement of Paris, wherein the goddess of discord secretly tosses a golden apple into the mix at a happy wedding feast. Upon the apple is inscribed the words, "to the fairest." Of course, immediately, three goddesses each suggest that their beauty alone deserves the apple, and Zeus is asked to decide which of the three will receive it. Zeus, being all-wise, suggests that such a judgment is best left to an unbiased party, and demands that the king of Troy, Paris, make the decision.
Well, we won't spoil the story for you, but you can imagine that nothing but difficulty follows. Here's a hint: Trojan War? :)
The letter itself refers to the choice made by Paris, underlines the word "preference," and seems to suggest that the author has chosen between lovers, and refers to a day spent in temptation and indulgence, and an unfortunate idea. So tantalizing and mysterious! But the long and the short of it is that we believe this letter to be a "Dear John," or "Jill," and that the author is, in their own, "flowery" way, letting a lover down easy.
How we wish we were fluent in French, so that we could really be certain, or at least more certain, as to the letter's meaning, but at the very least, this card, and the letter attached to it, gives us a lively perspective on "Le Langage des Fleurs," and its popularity, in Belle Epoque France.
Many thanks to google books as a source for information on Ravel's ballet. Link to that source:
http://books.google.com/books?id=c1pYXyLeFXsC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=adelaide+oula+langage+les+fleurs&source=bl&ots=GZ1qRw169A&sig=k8paXQo5ewHJd8SoXEb25PqLUhw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=h5yKUrKlOaasigKhv4HYAQ&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=adelaide%20oula%20langage%20les%20fleurs&f=false
Very nice condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.
Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.
And please come visit our blog at:
redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!