Wedding wreath, orange blossom made from green and white feathers on silk-thread wrapped wire with silk ribbons, Great Britain, 1854This delicate orange blossom wedding wreath is a rare survival. Imitation blossom was normally made from wax, paper, or cloth, but this example is made entirely from feathers and silk ribbons on fine wire. The white feathers have been carefully dyed in shades of green for leaves, or tinted with touches of yellow to replicate petals. It is associated with the 1854 marriage of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to Edward Nugée.
The wreath could have been purchased from a milliner's establishment, or made at home by a particularly talented home handicrafter. Women's periodicals in the 19th century provided instructions for various handicrafts, including featherwork. They advised their readers on how to clean and dye feathers, and how to make them into various accessories or dress-trimmings. Typically the feathers were stitched down flat into mosaic-like patterns, so the three dimensional quality of this wreath is unusual.Wedding accessories from the Nugée family
Many wedding artefacts are preserved because marriage is so significant an event in the lives of the participants. Some pass from one generation to the next, becoming family heirlooms. The Nugée family kept this group of fragile objects because of their importance to the family history. The objects conjure up the romantic prettiness typical of many Victorian weddings.
Shoes
Chapelle
Paris, France
1854
Silk satin, cotton and leather
V&A: T.4:1, 2-2008
Wreath
Britain
1854
Feather and silk-wrapped wire
V&A: T.6-2008
Wedding favours
Britain
1854
Cotton, silk, paper and wire
V&A: T.7, 8-2008
Bridesmaid's fan
Britain
1854
Paper leaf with metal spangles, wooden sticks and guards
Associated with the wedding of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards and Reverend Andrew Nugée, 8 August 1854
V&A: T.14-2008
Shoes
France or Britain
1887
Silk satin, cotton and leather
Associated with the wedding of Edith Elizabeth Alston and Francis Edward Nugée, son of Andrew and Elizabeth Nugée, 1887
V&A: T.5:1, 2-2008
Collection given by Edward Nugée QC [2011]Wreath of orange blossom, completely made from feathers, dyed green and white, mounted on a coil of silk-thread wrapped wire, accented with silk ribbons.