OK, so I was a little hard on our native burg the other day. (See "Nabob time.") I do get down in the dumps sometimes about the low "green" consciousness so many of our fellow citizens exhibit. All I have to do to lift my spirits is to be reminded of the glorious history we have all around us here.
This is getting to be a habit, but today at lunchtime I went back to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offices at 20th and Arch for a spirited brown-bag talk on the history of the Philadelphia Flower Show. PHS library manager Janet Evans and conservator Jude Robison had a slew of vintage show photos, ads and brochures that had a little something for everyone.
The show began here in 1829. Think about that for a moment. John Quincy Adams was president! The show lasted one day and was held in the Masonic Hall in the 700 block of Chestnut Street. It's there no more, but that gathering is famous for hosting the debut of the poinsettia from Mexico. Imagine the stir. Wouldn't you love to time travel back to see that?
Janet showed us programs for the many crysanthemum and orchid shows, those being extremely popular flowers back in the day (and still). Did you know in 1922 a crysanthemum show was held at the Academy of Music? A temporary wooden floor was placed on top of the seats and an orchestra entertained guests, who were treated to tea and gorgeous displays from all the grand estates in the region.
Can't you just smell those old-time roses? the sweet peas? If you've ever grown sweet peas, as I did from seed last year, you understand why they were such favorites. Burpee had entire catalogues devoted to them in 1929 and Mrs. Herbert Hoover Herself had a blue one named in her honor. What a fragrance sweet peas have and such endearing little blossoms.
By 1931, maybe Mrs. H. wasn't so popular. It was the Depression. Even so, or maybe because of that, 125,000 people paid 75 cents apiece to come to the flower show and throw their troubles in the compost pile. Guess, as they say, they needed it baaaad.
Saw a photo from 1941 of a proper lady in her "uniform" of dress, heels and stockings up on a ladder at the show with her also-uniformed chauffeur standing by to catch the pieces. Nothing like hired help, I always say, to get the job done.
In 1942, during World War II, exhibitors could get no imported flowers. Tulips and other flowers were all home-grown. Just imagine trying to do that today. The Flower Show would be full of bare exhibits.
That same year the show theme was "Morale promotes victory; flowers promote morale." That rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? It also goes to the point in yesterday's post ("The jazz age") about gardening and horticulture being part of our culture. Who could ignore the war, even in a flower show? In fact, the show was ultimately cancelled for four years because of the war.
(When I heard that, sorry, here comes the gloom again, I couldn't help but think how much WWII affected my parents' and grandparents' generations and how little it seems the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have impacted ours. And I'm not talking about cancelling the Flower Show.)
We saw photos of Princess Grace and Princess Caroline, Jane Pepper as a young sprout, Barbara Bush and her famous fake pearls (does she sleep in them?) and my favorite, a shot in 1993, the year the show closed early because of a blizzard. There, front and center, was a visitor in full regalia who'd skiied in the door. You have to laugh.
For all these cool archival photos, I have none of Janet or Jude. I forgot my camera. Sorry, ladies! I thank you anyway for making me feel better, at least for today, about my city.
