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Metal sculpture, Rhode Island state flower - Blue Violet

Smithsonian Gardens

Object Details

Artist
Helen Hornberger
Description
Artist, Helen Hornberger, revived the techniques of French tole to create naturalistic representations of the state flowers. The artist used thin copper sheets as her base, and painted them with oil paint in the natural colors of the blossoms and leaves of the Blue Violet (Viola sororia). Three purple blossoms each with five petals and an orange center are accompanied by three jagged leaves, all of which combines in a single brown stem.
Label Text
The Congress of Representative Women at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago proposed that each U.S. state and territory select a flower to represent their state in the “National Garland of Flowers.” This resulted in the National Floral Emblem Society. Each state has adopted to represent the state and its people based on their importance to the state’s history, economy, folklore, or native varieties. Tole artist Helen Hornberger created each artificial flower representing each state to create for a bouquet displaying America’s floral diversity.
RHODE ISLAND: The Blue Violet (Viola sororia) was designated the official state flower of Rhode Island in 1968. The school children of Rhode Island had selected the Common Blue Violet in 1897 over ten other candidates, making it the first out of the states who claim the Common Violet as their official state flower. Illinois, New Jersey, and Wisconsin also recognize the Violet as an official state symbol. The easy-growing Violet appears as much in the gardens as it does in the wild in Rhode Island, though it is seldom found in the southern part of the state. Its showy flowers blossom from April to June. These can be picked and eaten or covered with sugar and used to decorate cakes.
Credit Line
Smithsonian Gardens, Horticultural Artifacts Collection. Gift of Helen Hornberger.
1980
Accession number
1980.038.044
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Artificial flowers and trees
Medium
Copper, oil paint
Dimensions
Overall: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
Stem: 4 in. (10.2 cm)
Flower: 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm)
Origin
United States
See more items in
Horticultural Artifacts Collection
Smithsonian Gardens
Topic
copper
tôle
Artificial flowers
crafts
emblems (symbols)
flowers (plants)
Rhode Island
Record ID
hac_1980.038.044
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/aq449d96078-e686-4ec6-bb0e-6be25aaa09fc

Related Content

  • Explore America: Rhode Island

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