Celebrating Flowers

At this time of year, summer definitely feels like it is underway and so too are the beautiful array of plants in our gardens, parks and the landscapes that make up the Auckland region. With this blog post we celebrate the beauty of the natural world through the heritage collections at Auckland Libraries.

You can search for images yourself by browsing through the heritage databases including Kura and Heritage Images, by using keywords such as flowers and plants.

 Portraits with flowers:

Ref: 31-58309, portrait of Miss Lily Roberts wearing a gown with flowers, 1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: Footprints 01064, Nan Gilmour among the blossoms, Howick, c. 1910, photograph reproduced by courtesy of Howick Historical Society, South Auckland Research Centre

Ref: 31-57964, portrait of Miss C Donne, standing, who is wearing a large hat decorated with flowers, no date, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Whimsy:

Ref: 4-8916, woman picking a flower, the painting entitled 'The field hath its flowers', photo by James D Richardson, no date, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Flower arranging and shows:

Ref: Footprints 01062, Mrs Hunter, the Howick postmistress, with a floral display, c. 1933, photograph reproduced by courtesy of Howick Historical Society, South Auckland Research Centre

Ref: Footprints 01932, Flower show, Howick, 1930, photograph reproduced by courtesy of Howick Historical Society, South Auckland Research Centre

Flower clocks and formal plantings:

Ref: 1021-727, floral clock in Albert Park, Auckland CBD, c. 1980-1989, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: Footprints 05708, floral carpet, Mangere East, c. 1950, photograph reproduced courtesy of Mangere Historical Society, South Auckland Research Centre

 Flower businesses:

Ref: JTD-10G-04140, daffodil farm in Titirangi, 1936, West Auckland Research Centre

Botanical illustrations and exhibitions:

The library held an exhibition entitled 'Flowers, fruit and foilage' in late 2012/early 2013. While pictures of plants in books are often produced as a practical guide for identifying useful, or common, or newly discovered species, the accompanying illustrations can also be beautiful works of art. The books in this exhibition were all chosen for their illustrations, dating from the earliest herbal of 1578, through the great age of botanical illustration in the 18th and 19th century, to the wood engravings of the 1930s

Ref: Online exhibition for 'Flowers, fruit and foilage', 2012/2013, Sir George Grey Special Collections

The Pohutukawa or Christmas tree:

And finally, what could be more Kiwi than a NZ Christmas on the beach under a Pohutukawa tree with a BBQ sizzling away? Blooming around Christmas time, this tree and its vibrant red/pink flower signals summer and epitomes Christmas this side of the world. Find out more.

Ref: NZ Map 6564, allotments for sale in Campbells Bay, North Shore, with a group picnicing under a Pohutukawa, c. 1900-1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections