Pennsylvania Horticultural Society - Philadelphia Flower Show

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.

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.

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.

Cover of the catalog of Grand exhibition of Chrysanthemums, Horticultural Hall, Philadelphia, November 9 - 14, 1891.

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.

To promote PHS's 1921 show, held November 7 to 9 at the Academy of Music, a pilot flew over Philadelphia's downtown and, according to newspaper accounts, "pelted pedestrians with roses, orchids, carnations and chrysanthemums," together with 50,000 flyers promoting the show. Debutantes served tea every afternoon of the three-day show, and music and dancing were scheduled for the afternoons and evenings.

When flower shows were held at the Academy of Music, a temporary wooden floor was placed on top of the seats in the main hall. The 1922 November show's main attraction was chrysanthemums, but the show also featured collections from estate greenhouses, including vegetables, orchids, roses, and sweet peas. For the first time, the public was asked to assist in the judging by filling out ballots distributed at the door.

Flyer for autumn show held November 7-9, 1922, Academy of Music, Philadelphia