Series G-53 Flower Girls by E. Nash
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All of the material you have access to here -- the instructive booklets, the nostalgic postcards, the boldly graphic ephemera, and all of the historical information researched and shared from the mind of the woman who is making it all happen -- can easily fit into one 8 x 10 foot room in an old Victorian farmhouse, but you would never see it without the investment of the time it takes to produce such a site and the caloric input such a site requires in the form of food for the writer, graphic designer, and database manager, as well as the US currency needed to pay for the computers, software applications, scanners, electricity, and internet connectivity that bring it out of that little room and into the world.
So, as you can see, this site is the darling of many, and it is growing at a rapid rate ... but although it is "free," there also is a cost. The financial support of my Patreon subscribers -- my Patrons -- underwrites this cost.
E.Nash "Series G-53 Flowers Girls"
The E. Nash postcards publishing company is one of those mysteries that beset postcard collectors, and the more time passes the less likely we are to find out anything about the company. We do know that most of the E. Nash cards were printed in Germany, but that is true of the output of dozens of American card companies of the early 20th century. We also know that E. Nash put out several series of cards on Floriography or The Language of Flowers. The finest of these was the embossed, gilded, varnished, and sho-card lettered "Series M-6 Flowers" set, published circa 1910. The set shown here, consisting of little girls in floral dresses, accompanied by the meanings of the flowers and a short verse, are almost as nice. The "G" in a Nash series G-53 stands for "Girls," and here they are, cute as buttons.
Nash cards display as their trademark an N inside a triangle -- but as other collectors have noted, some Nash sets, this one included, also sometimes come with an A in a circle or an H surrounded by lettering for Henderson publishing, and these trademarks may be on the back of the card. There are two ways to interpret this: either Nash bought out the printing rights of other companies or vice versa, or the German printer sold the cards to multiple US publishers. I doubt we will ever know. In this set, the Jonquil card is marked G53 on the front, but Henderson on the back.
The Floriographic content of these these circa 1910 cards is not filled out with deep meaning or divinatory implications because the symbolism of each flower is limited -- but they are sweet and charming, nonetheless.
I wish i could tell you the name of the artist-letterer who painted these images, and also who crafted the fine lithographs for reproduction, but, alas, like many commercial artists then and now, such art-workers were usually not allowed to sign or even initial their fabulous creations.
There should be twelve cards in this set, perhaps one for each month of the year, although no months are mentioned. Lacking an indication of the months, i have arranged them in alphabetical order for now. Additionally, despite doing my due diligence and spending a week's food budget on the pack i have here, there are only ten on this page so far. The search continues.
APPLE BLOSSOM
"Long may you live, long may you love,
And long may you be happy."
- Meaning: Preference
ASTER
"Time is fleet, but thoughts are fleeter,
And, with love, they're always sweeter."
- Meaning: Variety
COSMOS
"May you be as happy yourself
As you'd like to see anybody else."
- Meaning: Always beautiful
CROCUS
"On this glad day may joy abide
With you from morn till eventide."
- Meaning: Beautiful ever
GERANIUM
"All joys come to your heart today
And all blessings be yours I pray."
- Meaning: Preference
JONQUIL
"May blessings be in every
shower that falls on you."
- Meaning: I desire a return of affection
HOLLY
"Only a message sweet and true
Saying I think today of you."
- Meaning: Foresight
HOLLYHOCK
"Though old times, old ways and customs pass away,
This greeting, at least, is good for any day."
- Meaning: Fruitfulness
POPPY
"Since today I cannot meet you
In this fashion I must greet you."
- Meaning: Consolation
SNOWDROP
"May happy memories of the past
Around the happy season cast."
- Meaning: Hope
I have a feeling that the author of these cards was a bit "stuck" for ideas, because two cards -- Apple Blossom and Geranium -- have the identical stilted sentiment of "Preference" and another pair -- Cosmos and Crocus -- have the almost identical sentiments of "Always beautiful" and "Beautiful ever."
There are 10 cards on this page, but printing presses are generally set up to run postcards in multiples of 6 ... so, please, wish me luck as i try to find the 11th and 12th cards and complete my collection of this elusive set of floriographic sweetness.
See Also
- Categorizing Cards
- Birthday and Birthstone Postcards
- The Tiffany Birthstone Poem
- Sentiments of the Months by Raphael Tuck and Sons
- Gem Birthday Series 1 by E. Nash
- Lucky Birthstone by Adelbert Kohn
- Fortune Series No. 37 by J. Marks
- Floriography or The Language of Flowers
- Series M-6 Flowers by E. Nash
- Series G-53 Flower Girls by E. Nash
catherine yronwode
curator, historian, and docent
Your Wate and Fate
Special thanks to my dear husband and creative partner nagasiva yronwode for illustrations, scans, and clean-ups.