Pennsylvania Horticultural Society - Philadelphia Flower Show

About This Collection

This collection consists of documentation related to the Philadelphia Flower Show from 1829 to the present including tickets, advertisements, posters and high-quality photographs to exhibits and promotional events. Some of the images include buildings that no longer exist, such as Philadelphia's Commercial Museum and Civic Center.
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1829 Philadelphia Flower Show. First Flower Show in America
1829 Philadelphia Flower Show. First Flower Show in America
Philadelphia Flower Show (1829 : Philadelphia, Pa.), Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society was founded in 1827 by a group of gentleman farmers, botanists and nurserymen. Monthly meetings included exhibitions among members. PHS held the first public flower show in America in June 1829 in the Masonic Hall on Philadelphia’s Chestnut Street. It was a one-day exhibition of fruits, flowers, and plants, and included the introduction of the Poinsettia, recently imported from Mexico, to the American public.
1833 Portrait of Horace Binney
1833 Portrait of Horace Binney
Binney, Horace, 1780-1875, Sully, Thomas, 1783-1872, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Sartain, John, 1808-1897, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Horace Binney, first president of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Engraving by John Sartain, after a portrait by Thomas Sully. Sully portrait created in 1833. Engraving date unknown.
[1867-1881] Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's first Horticultural Hall. Interior view
[1867-1881] Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's first Horticultural Hall. Interior view
Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Exhibition buildings -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Interior view of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's first Horticultural Hall. Exhibitions were held in this building from 1867 until it was destroyed by fire in 1881. Building location described as Broad and Lardner Streets or Broad Street below Locust.
1867 First Horticulture Hall. Exterior View
1867 First Horticulture Hall. Exterior View
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Sloan, Samuel, 1815-1884
PHS held annual public exhibitions in venues throughout the city. The society built its first Horticultural Hall in 1867 on Broad Street, Philadelphia. The most remarkable display in the first grand exhibition featured pears, grapes, plums, quinces, and pomegranates shipped from California, the first offerings from that state in a PHS show. The hall was destroyed by fire in 1881.
1871 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Floral Exhibition for May
1871 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Floral Exhibition for May
Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Exhibition announcements
Dated May 9, 1871, this broadside advertises the Society's May exhibition, featuring cut flowers, bouquets, hanging baskets, ornamental foliage plants, roses and other flowers and fruits. Exhibits were so popular that tickets were sold to the public for 25 cents.
1874 Philadelphia Flower Show. Admission Ticket
1874 Philadelphia Flower Show. Admission Ticket
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Autumn Exhibition, Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Admission tickets
The text of this admission ticket for 1874 reads, “Admit a Lady to the Weekly Meetings of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Held every Tuesday evening…. This will also serve for a single admission to a Lady or Gentleman at the Autumnal Exhibition.” Women were voted into membership in 1829, one and a half years after the society was founded.
1876 Ladies Reception Souvenir
1876 Ladies Reception Souvenir
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Ladies Reception Committee
For many years the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Ladies Reception Committee organized annual events in June at Horticultural Hall. This Ladies Reception souvenir may be from 1876, when all eyes were on Philadelphia as the host city of the nation’s centennial. Or, it may have been from the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the society, celebrated in 1877 with 1,250 attendees.
1882 Second Horticultural Hall. Exterior View
1882 Second Horticultural Hall. Exterior View
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Hutton, Addison, 1834-1916
After the first hall was destroyed by fire in 1881, a second Horticultural Hall, built on the same location, was completed in 1882 designed by prominent Philadelphia architect Addison Hutton. In 1893, history repeated itself; during a candy fair, what began as a small fire quickly spread to the ceiling decorations hanging throughout the hall. Within a short time, the building was destroyed.
1883 Dreer's Garden Calendar Catalog. Cover
1883 Dreer's Garden Calendar Catalog. Cover
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Henry A. Dreer (Firm) -- Catalogs, Dreer, Henry Augustus, 1818-1873, Dreer, William F., 1849-1918, Philadelphia Flower Show, Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Henry Augustus Dreer started a seed business in 1838, offering bulbs, flower seeds, and vegetable seeds to an eager public. He served as treasurer of PHS from 1862 to 1873. His son William continued the business and was known for the premiums offered to competitors in flower shows of the 1900s. The H. A. Dreer Company exhibited at Philadelphia shows through the 1930s.
1888 Funeral Floral Design
1888 Funeral Floral Design
Philadelphia Flower Show, Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Hugh Graham & Sons, Florists -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Funeral decorations
It was not uncommon for the floral competitions of the 1880s to include funeral designs. This illustration from J. Horace McFarland's 1888 book, Floral Designs: a Handbook for Cut-Flower Workers and Florists, featured a funeral design by longtime exhibitor Hugh Graham & Sons. This scroll with cross and crown is made of polished ivy leaves, with Perle roses outlining the edge.
1889 Chrysanthemum Show. Advertisment Card
1889 Chrysanthemum Show. Advertisment Card
Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Chrysanthemum Show (1889), Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Chrysanthemum shows were immensely popular from the last quarter of the 19th century through the 1920s, with multi-day shows held in the fall in major cities in the United States and Canada. The public was fascinated with the "wonderfully bizarre" Japanese forms introduced at this time. Exhibitors would graft different kinds and colors of chrysanthemums to one plant. Bigger flowers attracted attention; with the right coaxing, chrysanthemums could have dinner-plate-sized flowers.
1889 Horticultural Hall Interior View, Banquet for Master Builder's Exchange
1889 Horticultural Hall Interior View, Banquet for Master Builder's Exchange
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Master Builder's Exchange (Philadelphia, Pa.), Florists Club of Philadelphia
Horticultural Hall had many uses. It was the meeting place for PHS members, housed its library, and was the venue for shows. It was also used as a rental facility. Shown here is a banquet held in the late 1880s for the Master Builder's Exchange, seating 750. This second Horticultural Hall was also home to the Florists Club of Philadelphia, which had a bowling alley where matches among florists were routinely held.
1891 Grand Exhibition Chrysanthemums, Horticultural Hall Philadelphia
1891 Grand Exhibition Chrysanthemums, Horticultural Hall Philadelphia
Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Chrysanthemums, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Chrysanthemum Show (1891), Exhibition catalogs
Cover of the catalog of Grand exhibition of Chrysanthemums, Horticultural Hall, Philadelphia, November 9 - 14, 1891.
1891 Hints on Cacti A. Blanc & Co, Philadelphia, Pa.
1891 Hints on Cacti A. Blanc & Co, Philadelphia, Pa.
A. Blanc & Co., Cactus, Philadelphia Flower Show (1891 : Philadelphia, Pa.), Blanc, Albert A., 1850-1928, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
While the fall shows of the 1880s and 1890s continued to feature chrysanthemums, Albert Blanc was attracting attention with his displays of cactus, a novelty at that time. Blanc was a cactus collector-turned-dealer. Through his exhibits, such as the one shown in the foreground of this photograph from The American Florist, and his mail order catalog, Hints on Cacti, he started a cactus craze in the 1890s in the United States. He was awarded a special premium for his display in the 1891 show and won a $50 prize.
1892 Grand Orchid Show and Exhibition of Spring Flowers
1892 Grand Orchid Show and Exhibition of Spring Flowers
Philadelphia Flower Show (1892 : Philadelphia, Pa.), Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Pitcher & Manda, Siebrecht & Wadley, Orchids
Beginning in 1890, the Florists Club of Philadelphia handled the decorations for PHS's spring and fall shows, turning Horticultural Hall into "a veritable bower of grace and beauty," according to a review in The American Florist. Orchid displays from Pitcher & Manda of Short Hills, New Jersey, and Siebrecht & Wadley of New Rochelle, New York, were much admired.
1896 Scene at the Chrysanthemum Show in the Horticultural Hall
1896 Scene at the Chrysanthemum Show in the Horticultural Hall
Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Day, Frank Miles, 1861-1918, Chrysanthemums, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Chrysanthemum Show (1895), Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Newspaper clippings
The 1896 Chrysanthemum Show and Exhibition of Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables was a five-day event and the first major show held in PHS's new Horticultural Hall on Broad Street. The exhibition included chrysanthemums, orchids, foliage plants, palms, ferns, Japanese evergreens, ornamental grasses and bamboos, berry-bearing plants, crotons, dracaenas, carnations, caladiums, and roses. Awarded premiums totaled $1,491. This illustration, showing the interior of the new hall, appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on November 11, 1896.
1896 Third Horticultural Hall. Exterior
1896 Third Horticultural Hall. Exterior
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Day, Frank Miles, 1861-1918
PHS's third Horticultural Hall opened in 1896. Designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Miles Day, this hall was patterned after a Florentine Renaissance palace. Its interior was ornate, with a large foyer, stained glass windows, and a grand staircase to the main hall brilliantly lit by electric light. An inability to make a profit on shows or hall rentals forced PHS to sell this building in 1917. It was demolished that year.
1905 Philadelphia Flower Show. Schedule of Prizes
1905 Philadelphia Flower Show. Schedule of Prizes
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Spring Exhibition (1905), Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Schedule of Prizes offered by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society at its Spring Exhibition to be Held in Horticultural Hall Broad Str., Below Locust, Philadelphia March 28th, 29th and 30th, 1905.
1908 Schedule of Prizes Offered by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
1908 Schedule of Prizes Offered by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia Flower Show (1908 : Philadelphia, Pa.)
Wealthy estate owners, called "private growers," and commercial growers such as florists and seed and nursery businesses offered prize money, called a "premium," to winners. Private growers competed with other private growers; commercial growers did likewise. Premiums would be for a specific class, such as "cut flowers, chrysanthemums, or, group of foliage and flowering plants, arranged for effect." At the 1908 exhibition, prize money amounted to $1,152, roughly $30,000 today.
1916 National Flower Show Philadelphia
1916 National Flower Show Philadelphia
Fourth National Flower Show (1916 : Philadelphia, Pa.), Society of American Florists, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Flower shows -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
The National Flower Show was held in Philadelphia from March 25 through April 2, 1916, at Convention Hall, Broad and Allegheny Avenues. This was a large show organized by the Society of American Florists in cooperation with PHS, the Florists Club of Philadelphia, and several trade, professional, and educational groups. Its success convinced local organizers that the public was interested in large spring flower shows. Many participants in this show reunited in the mid 1920s to organize the spring event, the Philadelphia Flower Show.