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Images for Mothering Sunday

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Achimenes (BL 1823 c.13)
Achimenes

  Gardenia citriodora (BL 1823 c.13) Gardenia citriodora  

Lilium (BL 1823 c.13)
Lilium

 

Pelargonium (BL 1823 c.13)
Pelargonium

 

Peonia (BL 1823 c.13)
Peonia

 

Pompone (BL 1823 c.13)
Pompone

 

Lady at her toilet, from The Luttrell Psalter, East Anglia c.1325-1335 (BL Add. MS 42130 f.63)
Lady at her toilet

 

A Persian Lady in the harem at breakfast, from Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, and Ancient Babylonia by Sir Robert Ker Porter, 1817-1820 (BL Add. MS 14758 f.188)
Persian Lady

 

Mother and child prepare food, from The life of Phra Malai, Thailand, c.1840-1860
(BL Or. 14115 f.39)
Mother and child

Hundreds of years ago it was quite usual for children as young as 10 or 11 to leave home to work as apprentices or domestic servants. On the fourth Sunday in Lent they were allowed to visit their mother, and their family or 'mother' church. They would often pick flowers to bring to church or give to their mother. The fasting rules for Lent were also relaxed for the day!

Although 'Mothering Sunday' is nowadays often referred to as Mother's Day in the UK, it has no connection with the American festival of that name.

The first six images above come from The Illustrated Bouquet, consisting of figures, with descriptions of new flowers, by Edward George Henderson. This attractive and rare work was published in London in three volumes, between 1857 and 1864 (BL 1823 c.13).

The other three are, from left to right:

Lady at her toilet
From the Luttrell Psalter, East Anglia, c.1325-1335
(BL Add. MS 42130 f.63)

A Persian lady in the harem at breakfast
From Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, and Ancient Babylonia by Sir Robert Ker Porter, 1817-1820
(BL Add. MS 14758 f.188)

Mother and child prepare food
From The life of Phra Malai, Thailand, c.1840-1860
(BL Or. 14115 f.39)

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