Floral exhibition at Broadgreen House

The Garden of Time: Florals, Fashion, and the Home is the latest exhibition at Broadgreen Historic House.

The exhibition examines how flowers have influenced fashion and the home throughout time and takes inspiration from the stunning gardens at Broadgreen House.

Fashion and interior decoration have always taken inspiration from the natural world.

Fashion has embraced floral motifs, with garments often featuring floral embroidery and prints. In the home, floral motifs were printed on wallpaper, embroidered on cushions and furniture, and painted on everyday objects.

For Melissa Morrison, The Garden of Time is her first exhibition since becoming the Curator Heritage Facilities for Nelson City Council.

“Everywhere you look at Broadgreen, there are flowers – the Victorians absolutely loved them and added them to the most utilitarian items to make every day, practical objects a thing of beauty,” she says.

Broadgreen Textile Volunteer Karen Richards has co-curated The Garden of Time alongside Melissa. Karen, who has volunteered at Broadgreen for the past eight years, was instrumental when it came to selecting textiles for the exhibition from the nationally significant textile collection housed at Broadgreen. The textile collection contains over 3,000 items dating from the early 1800s through to the late 1950s.

Melissa’s favourite item in the exhibition is a chestnut-brown moiré silk wedding gown dating to 1884. It was worn by Maria Beaumont for her wedding in autumn of the same year. Moiré silk is an incredibly beautiful fabric, once reserved for royalty. Created through the process of calendaring, where the fabric is rolled, folded, and heated resulting in a fabric with a watered appearance.

The Garden of Time is at Broadgreen House from 26 March

Visit broadgreenhouse.nz for more information and opening hours.