1897 Childs' Rare Flowers, Vegetables and Fruits

This is a faithful facsimile reproduction of the 1897 spring Catalogue of Seeds, Bulbs and Plants issued by John Lewis Childs of Floral Park, Queens County, New York — one of the largest and most famous American mail-order seed and bulb houses of the late nineteenth century, printing over a million catalogs annually from its own presses.

Childs built a worldwide reputation on flower novelties, gladiolus, and lavish catalog design, and the 1897 edition is a striking example. This facsimile preserves the catalog's ornate cover art, decorative typography, chromolithographed flower plates, and period advertising as Childs' customers received it.

Highlights include:

• The celebrated "New Giant Nasturtiums" chromolithograph cover, in full color
• A full-color plate of Childs' Giant Imperial Japanese Morning Glories, offered as a premium and reproduced from the original color printing
• Detailed nasturtium listings — Dwarf Tom Thumb named varieties, Cloth of Gold, climbing sorts, and more
• The "Special Features" and "1897 Greetings" pages describing Childs' new two-size seed-packet pricing and his famous horticultural magazine, The Mayflower
• The illustrated "Floral Park — Our Establishment" spread and bird's-eye engraving of the Floral Park grounds, greenhouses, and printing works on Long Island
• General ordering, remittance, and shipping instructions — a candid window into 1890s mail-order commerce

This is a catalog reprint valued as advertising ephemera and horticultural history rather than a horticultural reference — a look at Victorian flower culture, early mail-order marketing, and one of America's landmark nursery businesses.

An essential reference for gardeners, seed-catalog and ephemera collectors, and historians of horticulture, advertising, and Long Island / Floral Park history.

145 pages. 6" x 9". Full color. Paperback.

Satisfaction guaranteed or you can send it back!