Garden Party
An exhibition of 150 years of printed floral fabrics in women’s apparel, and the natural botanicals that inspired them.
James Klett, a professor of Landscape Horticulture, Ornamentals and Nursery Management in the College of Agricultural Sciences and a CSU Extension specialist, assisted in flower identification within the textile patterns on the exhibition pieces.
“The Earth laughs in flowers.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
As Colorado State University and the Fort Collins community prepare for the blooming trial gardens of The W. D. Holley Plant Environmental Research Center (PERC), the Avenir Museum is dressed to join this year’s Garden Party! While the Trial Gardens are budding, the textiles and dress displayed in the Avenir Museum’s Blackwell Gallery are already in bloom. Experience the history and aesthetic transition of floral printed and woven textiles over the course of a century. The yearning for an understanding and connection to nature has long existed, so we aim to explore those connections to nature and the trend transformations of floral textiles found in dress from 1860 to 1980.
The sweet aromas of flower have long been desired, though it is undeniable the elegant aesthetics of the flower are even more desirable. This is evident as flowers have been stylized into countless interpretations found in dress, textiles, and interiors. As floral motifs have evolved so has symbolism and meaning. Chintz and calico, the first known floral motifs, originated in Asian and Indian cultures. Like many commodities at that time floral design trends became extremely desirable upon introduction to European culture. Overtime the meaning of flowers and their contribution to textile design have continued to evolve.
During the seventeenth century the desire to understand the natural world grew. Symbolism of flowers in European culture alluded to plant science and experience based knowledge. Intricacy and elegance lead to an infatuation with flowers by upper class. Interest in science and natural symbolism carried over into the eighteenth century as did industrialization; new technologies were developed to more easily produce floral schemes. During the nineteenth century, new processes popularized ornate and detailed designs. These more industrialized techniques marginalized floral motifs, allowing affordability to people of all social classes. Throughout the twentieth century floral motifs continued to have a strong influence on textile design, a trend that continues to this day.
