Flower

Artificial, an imitation of a natural flower. Artificial flowers are made in great numbers, both in Europe and America. They are used as ornaments for women's hats and bonnets, and, to a less extent, for decorating the hair and for trimming gowns. The work is done almost entirely by hand, and gives employment to many women and girls. Muslin, silk, satin, and velvet are the fabrics usually employed. Petals for flowers and leaves are cut with a die or stamp machine. From twelve to forty-eight thicknesses can be cut through at one time. The petals are next dyed, or, if they are large, and shading is desired, they are painted with a brush. The leaves are veined by indenting with hot metal patterns and are crimped by pressing in a machine. A wire wound with tissue paper or silk thread is pasted along the center, and the leaves are tied in bunches ready for shipment.

The making of a flower is, of course, a more difficult performance. In making the larger flowers, as roses, a girl takes up each petal with a pair of pincers, deftly shapes it, and passes it to the next worker, who completes the shaping process. A third girl attaches a slender wire. These petals are then arranged about a small piece of cotton and the wires drawn together and twisted or wound to form the stem. In the more expensive roses the petals are each pasted into place. Stamens and pistils are formed of wire covered with silk, and dipped in gum water to form the anthers. Buds are shaped from cotton and covered with silk, or are sometimes of glass similarly covered. The assembling of the petals into a flower is a work of skill, and the maker of the higher grades must have the eye and touch of an artist. The industry of flower-making has advanced with rapidity during the last twenty-five years, the flowers now on the market being in many instances very perfect reproductions of natural blossoms.