We loved the smell of her face powder and the light orange-flower perfume she wore, the crinkled waves of her hair, the knot speared through with a small pointed Spanish comb.
"Portrait: Old South"
Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Anne Porter
Orange Flower
Before the lady of the house outfitted cupboards with verbena sachets and lavender soaps, the antebellum bride wore the tender scent of orange flower. In the Old South, the only flower used in the bridal bouquet was the orange flower. For the first year of marriage, the new bride carried handkerchiefs scented with orange flower water to mark her new station in life.The truly, truly ethereal scent of orange flower is at once crisp and delicate. It is evocative of the sweet, fresh, morning cool of May and June. Yet, is carries with it a tender creaminess which hints at the honey warm days of summer. It is a singularly pleasing scent which lingers prettily on sun warmed skin.