What is Victorian Seed Bead Work?

Victorian seed bead work actually originated several hundred years before the Victorian era. The earliest written accounts of  glass bead flowers is in an Italian account, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a book published in 1499. For the next several hundred years the art was primarily practiced in France and Italy. However, during Queen Victoria's reign the art spread to a number of other countries. As it became more popular, each country adapted the art to its own culture. Examples of  glass beaded flowers and plants can be found in England, Holland, Russian, America, even Canada.  As a result this form of beaded wire work is most closely connected to the Victorian Era. Hence, Victorian seed bead flowers or bead work.

The various styles of bead work can be divided by technique, country of origin, and in some cases time period. The art of glass flower beading extended through all levels of society. Lower class women worked in "factories" producing the flowers by hand that were then sold to milliners. dress makers, and others. Some flowers became part of bouquets that adorned church alters, public buildings and homes. These same women would take misshaped or off-colored beads home to make their own creations. Middle class and upper class women would do similar bead work in their homes, but with better quality materials. Young girls leaning the art along with needle work, knitting, and other "women's crafts". At the top end of the social spectrum, jewelers ( usually men) made beautiful jeweled flowers using beads of precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, silver and gold. These pieces were availible only to the very rich.

 Glass beaded flowers were used as jewelry, on hats, to decorate the home, for wreaths to place on the graves of loved ones, and a host of other ways. Very few have survived to today as they can be very delicate and become fragile over time.  Since the Victorian Era, these flowers have gone in and out of popularity several times. They were popular in the 1920's for bridal bouquets. You also find exampes of beaded flowers used in jewelry in both the 1940's and 50's. In the 1960s' there was a resurgence of the art. This mostly took the form of floral arrangements for the home in the US and Europe.

Today, the art of seed beaded glass flower making is being practiced by individuals all over the world. Individual artists develop their own styles, mixing and matching the techniques from various countries and eras.

Why Victorian Glass Beaded Flowers?

I first saw examples of glass beaded flowers about a year and a half ago when my suprervisor at the Victorian museum where I work brought in a book of French Victorian beaded flowers. One look at the gorgeous creations in the book and I was hooked. I bought a similar book, some beads, some wire, and through trial and error taught myself to bead. I began doing research on the art. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became. I branched out from French techniques, to English, to American, to Venetian. Within a few months, I began wearing my creations to work at the museum. Because I used the Victorian era techniques, the jewelry pieces were appropriate to wear with my 1850's Victorian costume  I wear as a docent at the museum. Since then I have created a number of head pieces for the museum's costume collection, as well as doing several demonstrations on making the Victorian seed bead flowers.

The pieces I offer here at Tangee's Treasures are all one of a kind originals made in the traditional techniques of the Victorian Era. They are catagorized as to the country of origin regarding both the style and techniques used in the piece. In some cases I have used slightly more modern materials to make the pieces stronger or more wearable. Each piece is carefully hand crafted. The more complicated pieces can take many hours to complete.

The Victorian Seed Bead pieces offered through Tangee's Treasures stores can not be purchased anywhere else on the internet. Each is a unique piece of art, meant to be cherished and passed down through the years.

These flowers will never fade. With care these will last to be passed down from one geneation to the next, just as the technique for making them has been passed down for hundreds of years.