For 38 years of my life I was a florist, so of course bridal bouquets always catch my eye and interest. This is even more true if they're from a family wedding.
This bouquet was the one Margaret Naber carried when she married Anton Janson in May, 1913. It looks to be 4 or 5 large open roses in different colors at the top, with ranunculas and lily of the valley (or stephanotis?) cascading.
Ranunculas and lily of the valley are spring flowers, but full blown roses couldn't have been grown in Buckman in May. Besides, these seem particularly large and sturdy. Where would fresh flowers have come from in 1913?
I started looking online--Little Falls? St Cloud? Amazingly, there's a history of Minnesota florists online. A flower shop opened in Brainerd in 1901...hmm, maybe there? Little Falls Greenhouse opened in 1947, and Lens Flower Dell in the 60s. I didn't know of earlier florists....so I emailed Morrison County Historical Society and got a wonderful answer (bottom of this post).
Larry and I were online this morning, talking it over. I mentioned again that they look almost artificial, and if they were, they might have been ordered from anywhere. He said, "Oh sure, mail order...maybe the Sand Sisters in LF?"
The lights went on! The Sand sisters owned a millinery shop in Little Falls, but there was also a millinery in Buckman, just south of John Hesch's store. The flowers DO look like hat trimming flowers, don't they? Her veil and Anton's boutonniere were largish lily of the valley...too big and too sturdy to be real. WOW!
It makes sense that a milliner would provide wedding bouquets, and certainly, the flowers could be used later to trim a hat.
Ranunculas and lily of the valley are spring flowers, but full blown roses couldn't have been grown in Buckman in May. Besides, these seem particularly large and sturdy. Where would fresh flowers have come from in 1913?
I started looking online--Little Falls? St Cloud? Amazingly, there's a history of Minnesota florists online. A flower shop opened in Brainerd in 1901...hmm, maybe there? Little Falls Greenhouse opened in 1947, and Lens Flower Dell in the 60s. I didn't know of earlier florists....so I emailed Morrison County Historical Society and got a wonderful answer (bottom of this post).
Larry and I were online this morning, talking it over. I mentioned again that they look almost artificial, and if they were, they might have been ordered from anywhere. He said, "Oh sure, mail order...maybe the Sand Sisters in LF?"
The lights went on! The Sand sisters owned a millinery shop in Little Falls, but there was also a millinery in Buckman, just south of John Hesch's store. The flowers DO look like hat trimming flowers, don't they? Her veil and Anton's boutonniere were largish lily of the valley...too big and too sturdy to be real. WOW!
It makes sense that a milliner would provide wedding bouquets, and certainly, the flowers could be used later to trim a hat.
(Kinda cool that the Sand Cafe is now the Flower Dell, huh?)
............
Wow! And then, Larry found some wonderful catalogs and magazines online from the winter of 1912, and spring of 1913...it seems to me Margaret Naber bought a dress modeled on Paris fashion.
Way to go, Gramma!
Here's the email answer from MCHS:
"In response to your question about florists, there are a few
possibilities. The Little Falls Greenhouse was opened around 1940.
Previous to that the Odd Shop offered flowers beginning in the late 1930s.
The Odd Shop was a gift store. There was also the Gordon Guy Flower Shop
in the 1940s but then it became a photography business. Also in the 30s is
Chinberg Florist; they appear to be the first actual florists, opening
around 1930. Lastly, the Levis Book Store carried flowers in 1916/1917 so
they are a possibility for where your grandmother bought her bouquet.
Another possibility, if the flowers were artificial is that they could
have been bought at a millinery".
Marissa Knaak
Intern
possibilities. The Little Falls Greenhouse was opened around 1940.
Previous to that the Odd Shop offered flowers beginning in the late 1930s.
The Odd Shop was a gift store. There was also the Gordon Guy Flower Shop
in the 1940s but then it became a photography business. Also in the 30s is
Chinberg Florist; they appear to be the first actual florists, opening
around 1930. Lastly, the Levis Book Store carried flowers in 1916/1917 so
they are a possibility for where your grandmother bought her bouquet.
Another possibility, if the flowers were artificial is that they could
have been bought at a millinery".
Marissa Knaak
Intern
THANKS to the world's best researcher and to Marissa...Woohoo!
Oh sure, I suppose you want to see the WHOLE dress, right?
Anton Janson and Margaret Naber
May 19, 1913
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