12 - Flowers, but Not in the Attic?

S01E12: The Victorian Language of Flowers (Floriography), Victorian Botanical Scrapbooks (Herbariums), and Seaweed Hunters.

 

This week, we learned that you can, in fact, send death threats to your enemies by way of harmless-looking flower bouquets. (Who knew?! Well, apparently the Victorians.) Then we meandered through the colorful world of botanical scrapbooking, which, for upper class Victorian women, turned out to be an unexpected pathway to independent adventures and a subtle way for them to be exposed to science at a time when they would otherwise be completely barred from that knowledge. 

 

We also learned that seaweed collecting was an actual Thing. Because, apparently, it was. And one should always wear men’s boots while doing it.

 

Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2020/09/25/season-1-episode-12/