The Flowers of Shakespeare Keepsake

Each Keepsake is both a unique greetings card and a small work of art: a square, hand-folded parcel that opens layer by layer to reveal illustrations, details, and messages within. Write your message in the centre, fold and either keep for yourself or give to someone deserving. 

Each pack comes with two paper keepsakes, a practice sheet and instructions. The paper sheets measure 160mm x160mm. The designs are printed on traditional laid paper. 

This design:

Clara Pope, like many other talented women painters of the 19th century, specialised in botanical art. This keepsake is based on her painting ‘Shakespeare’s Flowers’ which was commissioned by Soane, and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835 before being hung in the Morning Room of Sir John Soane’s Museum. 

In the painting, the flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s own works are amassed into a basket, alluding to the mythical origins of the Corinthian order, and tilted towards a bust of the writer as if presented in tribute.

The picture was accompanied by a hand-written list signed by Mrs Pope entitled ‘Names of the Flowers & Herbs &c./in Mrs Pope’s Drawing of Shakespeare’s Flowers’ which lists each flower and the name of the play in which it occurs.