Artificial Flowers on Fashion Accessories: Barcelona in 1900

Abstract

This article provides the first systematic examination of artificial flower production and application in fashion accessories in Barcelona during the Modernisme period (1888-1914). Drawing on commercial directories, instructional manuals, fashion periodicals, and preserved objects from Barcelona museum collections, the study addresses three interconnected areas: training and skills transmission, factory and workshop production, and material output as applied to hats and fans. The research reveals artificial flower-making as an essentially female economic activity, identifying female proprietors who headed workshops whilst acknowledging an anonymous workforce that remains largely undocumented. The article contributes to the historiography of European luxury trades by demonstrating how Barcelona developed autonomous production whilst maintaining cultural and technical dependencies on Paris, functioning as a regional hub within transnational networks of fashion circulation. Additionally, the study provides the first inventory of fragile artificial flower accessories preserved in Barcelona museums, establishing methodological foundations for future interdisciplinary research relevant to art and fashion history, economic history, and gender studies.