Feather quill, wrapped with gold silk thread and wire, bunch of flowers made using curled wire loops wound with silk ribbons and silk floss in red & green.Posy, bunch of flowers made using curled wire loops wound with silk ribbons and silk floss in red & green, Great Britain, ca. 1854This posy is an unusual example of Victorian handicraft. The flowers are made from curled wire, looped and wound with silk ribbons and coloured silk floss yarn. The stem is a long feather quill wrapped in gold silk thread and wire. It is associated with a 1854 wedding in the donor’s family, but was probably intended as an accessory for an evening dress.
Many young middle- and upper-class women in the 19th century were supported by fathers, husbands or male guardians. They were not expected to work for a living, and so had to find pastimes to occupy their spare time. Needlework was considered a particularly desirable skill. Women’s magazines suggested a variety of other handicrafts such as featherwork, wax-flower modelling, and painting china. This posy would have been made at home using readily available materials, and is a rare survival.