1899 Emma V. White's Choice Flower Seeds: Illustrated Catalog

This is a faithful facsimile reproduction of the 1899 Choice Flower Seeds catalog issued by Miss Emma V. White of Minneapolis, Minnesota — one of the notable woman-owned mail-order seed houses of the late nineteenth century, and a Minneapolis contemporary of Carrie Lippincott.

Emma White distinguished her catalog with a whimsical "Brownie" theme, borrowing the little goblin characters made famous by Palmer Cox, who scamper across her pages hauling seed packets and sowing flowers "safe in Brownie land." This facsimile preserves the catalog's ornate cover art, Brownie illustrations, decorative typography, and period advertising as her patrons received it.

Highlights include:

• The striking chromolithograph cover — oversized "Royal Challenge" pansies swarmed by Brownie figures with watering cans, reproduced from the original color printing
• White's "My Three Warrants" and "Premiums for 1899" pages, and her "Brownie Flower Seed List" greeting listing prize awards to customers across the country
• Her pansy specialty, including the celebrated Royal Challenge strain, plus detailed listings for asters, nasturtiums, sweet peas, balsams, begonias and dozens of other flowers, many with fine engraved illustrations
• A "Children's Special Collection" and mixed-seed offers aimed at young and budget-minded gardeners
• Ordering, remittance, and premium terms — a candid window into 1890s mail-order commerce and early women's entrepreneurship

This is a catalog reprint valued as advertising ephemera and horticultural history rather than a horticultural reference — a look at Victorian flower culture, Brownie-era illustration, early mail-order marketing, and a landmark woman-owned Minneapolis business.

Please note: some pages of the original scanned copy had minor tears, so there may be slight text loss in a few places. This reproduces the catalog faithfully from the best available source.

An essential reference for gardeners, seed-catalog and ephemera collectors, Palmer Cox / Brownie enthusiasts, and historians of horticulture, advertising, women in business, and Minneapolis / Minnesota history.

52 pages. 8.25" x 6". Black and white. Paperback.

Satisfaction guaranteed or you can send it back!