Short Stuff: Victorian Flower Language

The tradition of sending coded messages through flowers dates back to at least the 1600s in the Ottoman Empire, where members of the harem in Constantinople developed a game called Selam. Since many couldn't read or write, they used flowers attached with rhymes and meanings to communicate. This practice was introduced to Europe through Lady Mary Wortley, a British aristocrat married to the British ambassador to Turkey, who wrote letters describing this exotic custom to friends and family back home.

• The Ottoman Empire had a flower-based communication tradition called Selam starting in the 1600s
• Members of the harem in Constantinople used flowers to communicate since many couldn't read or write
• Lady Mary Wortley, married to the British ambassador to Turkey, introduced the practice to Europe through her letters

Floriography became especially popular among upper-class women in Victorian and Regency England, where open discussion of feelings was considered untoward. The practice was embraced by prominent authors like Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, who used flower symbolism to develop their characters. Modern readers often miss these coded references, but Victorian readers would have immediately understood the significance of flower exchanges in these beloved novels.

• Floriography was particularly popular among upper-class women who couldn't speak openly about certain topics
• Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters incorporated floriography into their character development
• Modern readers miss these coded messages that Victorian readers would have understood