Madame de Rhinfield — artificial flower artist
- Creator(s):
- Rhinfeld, Madame de
- Title:
- Floriana or the Method of Constructing Artificial Flowers
- Publication/Origin:
- [ca. 1830]
- Description:
- This carefully written and illustrated manuscript teaches in minute detail the methods taught to Matilda St. Clair, now Madame de Rhinfeld, for constructing artificial flowers. Growing up in a convent in France, she was instructed by the nuns in each aspect of creating the flowers: dyeing silks, cutting muslin, and forming each individual petal and leaf. She used this skill to earn her living in England. Her watercolors individually dissect twenty-four different artificial flowers; included is a drawn foldout plate of her tools. The pages of delicately embellished instructions, in floral borders, are accompanied by poetry and commentary related to each flower.
- Citation:
- Rhinfeld, Madame de, Floriana or the Method of Constructing Artificial Flowers, [ca. 1830], Lisa Unger Baskin Collection, Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Accessed January 18, 2026, https://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/show/baskin/item/4111