A Study on the Anthropomorphic Representation of Flowers in European and American Illustrated Books from 1844 to 1929

From a Visual Design Perspective

Abstract

This paper focuses on the anthropomorphic depictions of flowers that were frequently portrayed in Western illustrated books from the mid-19th to the early 20th century and analyzes these representations from a design perspective.

After analyzing 25 illustrated books (513 illustrations) for the study, we identified five types of anthropomorphic floral expressions. These included: Type A, which featured a human figure; Type B, which depicted the head as a flower and the body as a human; Type C, which showed a human head and upper body with the lower body as a plant; Type D, which portrayed a complete plant figure with human facial expressions and movements; and Type E, which was another anthropomorphic floral expression.

The most frequently observed expression, Type A, was analyzed by focusing on the design of four points: head, clothing, footwear, and accessories. The analysis showed that anthropomorphic expressions of flowers are characterized by the addition of impressive floral elements, particularly in the design of the head.

Furthermore, this characterization extends to clothing, which accentuates the presence and threedimensionality of flowers, as well as the incorporation of a diverse array of floral elements in footwear and accessories.