Showers, wind, sunny spells: the British summer has arrived. Flowers now adorn our streets and gardens to show Britain at its best, in time for the Olympics.
Our collections of floral imagery include Board of Trade registers containing beautiful designs for wallpapers and textiles. A similar collection of copyright registrations in COPY 1 feature simple flower illustrations.
Flower selling is also depicted in our photographs below. The hustle and bustle of Benares, India in 1944 is in contrast to the solitary seller in Victorian Britain. The flower packers’ photograph depicts the hard work that went into the flower industry.
Gardens, lakes and ponds are enjoyed across the world, from London to Tokyo. Herbert G Ponting (1870–1935) was a renowned Victorian photographer who travelled around Asia. His composed photograph of a Japanese woman in a garden shows his technical and aesthetic abilities.
Our collections contain fine examples of garden plans of famous palaces and parks in Britain. The London locations shown here are as popular today as ever before.
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Floral design, H T Dixon, Kidderminster 1841
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/bt42-9-(626)-floral-design-h-t-dixon-kidderminster-1841.jpgCatalogue reference: BT 42/9 (626)
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Wallpaper design, 1839-1841
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/bt42-14-(31-32)-wallpaper-design-1839-1841.jpgCatalogue reference: BT 42/14 (31, 32)
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Sweet pea illustration
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/copy1-77-(93a)-sweet-pea.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/77 (93a)
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Flower seller, 1884
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/copy1-369-f221-flower-seller-1884.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/369 f221
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Flower sellers outside a Hindu mosque in Benares, India 1944
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/inf14-434-the-city-of-benares-flower-sellers-outside-a-hindu-mosque-1944.jpgCatalogue reference: INF 14/434
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Textile design for furniture, 1862-1864
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/bt43-363-(175061)-textile-design-for-furniture-1862-1864.jpgCatalogue reference: BT 43/363 (175061)
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Flower packers, 1893
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/copy1-412-(89a)-flower-packers-1893.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/412 (89a)
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Winter garden at the Royal Hydro Hotel, Woodhall Spa, 1899
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/copy1-442-(2)-winter-garden-royal-hydro-hotel-woodhall-spa-1899.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/442 (2)
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Regent's Park, plan of the park and lake, 1820
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/work32-584-plans-and-drawings-regents-park-plan-of-park-and-lake-1820.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 32/584
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Hampton Court, Knot Garden showing proposed layout of plants, summer bedding
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/work34-1596-plans-and-drawings-hampton-court-knot-garden.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 34/1596
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Japanese girl in garden, Herbert G Ponting, 1907
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/copy1-507-(200)-japanese-girl-in-garden-herbert-g-ponting-1907.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/507 (200)
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Flower cart, 1884
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/flowers-and-gardens/copy1-369-flower-cart-1884.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/369
This is just a selection. Contact licensing@nationalarchives.gov.uk for more image solutions.
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