THE ROSE BOOK

With more than 200 color images and five essays, this sumptuous volume celebrates an iconic flower. Introduced by Kristine Paulus, collection development librarian at the New York Botanical Garden, essays include fashion historian Amy de La Haye’s overview of roses in clothing design; a piece by Victoria Gaiger, editor at Rakesprogress magazine, examining the use of roses in perfumes; and floral designer Shane Connolly’s consideration of the language of a flower long associated with goddesses of love. Rose, Gaiger discovered, the favorite scent of Marie Antoinette, later became a prominent note in Paul Poiret’s La Rose de Rosine and Chanel’s famous No. 5. Although the red rose has endured as a symbol of affection—notably, of course, on Valentine’s Day—Connolly reveals that roses of other hues send subtle messages, too. Michael Marriott, chairman of the Historic Roses Group, offers a glossary of rose types—damasks and floribundas, ramblers and rugosas, among many others. The blossom Sappho called “the queen of flowers” originated more than 30 million years ago and contains more than 150 wild species and tens of thousands of cultivars. Beloved by Greeks, Romans, and throughout the ancient world, the rose inspired festivals that still continue. Among the book’s images is a fragile gold and glass floral wreath dated to the third or second century B.C.E. Featured, as well, are delicate botanical drawings and paintings by a wide range of artists, including Vincent van Gogh, William Morris, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Gustav Klimt, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Salvador Dalí. Fashion plates display the creations of designers such as Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Charles Worth, and Alexander McQueen. Not least, Ian Hamilton Finlay’s screenprint on tile takes as its motif Gertrude Stein’s famous line of poetry, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” Perhaps it’s all that needs saying.

Apr 2, 2025 - 07:49

With more than 200 color images and five essays, this sumptuous volume celebrates an iconic flower. Introduced by Kristine Paulus, collection development librarian at the New York Botanical Garden, essays include fashion historian Amy de La Haye’s overview of roses in clothing design; a piece by Victoria Gaiger, editor at Rakesprogress magazine, examining the use of roses in perfumes; and floral designer Shane Connolly’s consideration of the language of a flower long associated with goddesses of love. Rose, Gaiger discovered, the favorite scent of Marie Antoinette, later became a prominent note in Paul Poiret’s La Rose de Rosine and Chanel’s famous No. 5. Although the red rose has endured as a symbol of affection—notably, of course, on Valentine’s Day—Connolly reveals that roses of other hues send subtle messages, too. Michael Marriott, chairman of the Historic Roses Group, offers a glossary of rose types—damasks and floribundas, ramblers and rugosas, among many others. The blossom Sappho called “the queen of flowers” originated more than 30 million years ago and contains more than 150 wild species and tens of thousands of cultivars. Beloved by Greeks, Romans, and throughout the ancient world, the rose inspired festivals that still continue. Among the book’s images is a fragile gold and glass floral wreath dated to the third or second century B.C.E. Featured, as well, are delicate botanical drawings and paintings by a wide range of artists, including Vincent van Gogh, William Morris, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Gustav Klimt, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Salvador Dalí. Fashion plates display the creations of designers such as Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Charles Worth, and Alexander McQueen. Not least, Ian Hamilton Finlay’s screenprint on tile takes as its motif Gertrude Stein’s famous line of poetry, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” Perhaps it’s all that needs saying.