Tussie-Mussie
posy holder, c. 1850–1900
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A tussie-mussie is a small bouquet of flowers carried in a decorative holder — usually a little conical cup of silver, gilt, or mother-of-pearl, sometimes on a chain or pin. The name is Victorian: 'tussie' meant a nosegay, a bunch of flowers, and 'mussie' was the damp moss packed around the stems to keep them from wilting.
Nosegays themselves were medieval — originally carried to mask foul smells and ward off plague — but the Victorians turned them into a messaging system. Armed with dictionaries of the language of flowers, a young woman could send what she could not say aloud: a red rose for love, a yellow rose for friendship, lavender for devotion. Where she pinned the posy — near the heart or not — answered the suitor.
They fascinate as Victorian texting: emotion encoded, transmitted, and decoded in public, right under the chaperon's nose. Carrying flowers was considered more proper for a young woman than wearing jewelry, so the posy holder became a prized fashion object in its own right.
Frequently asked
What does 'tussie-mussie' mean?
A small bouquet of flowers in a decorative holder. 'Tussie' meant a nosegay or bunch of flowers; 'mussie' was the damp moss packed around the stems to keep them from wilting.
How did Victorians send messages with flowers?
Through the language of flowers: dictionaries gave each bloom a coded meaning — a red rose for love, lavender for devotion. A young woman could send what she could not say aloud, and where she pinned the posy answered the suitor.
How was a tussie-mussie worn?
Posy holders were worn at the waist, in the hair, pinned as a brooch, or dangled from a finger-ring chain while dancing — carrying flowers was considered more proper for a young woman than wearing jewelry.
Why it matters today
The wedding-bouquet holder, the corsage, and the boutonnière all descend from the tussie-mussie — coded flowers never went away, they just got pinned to lapels.
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