The Flowers of Shakespeare Token

Some words deserve more than a text message.

Before a message could arrive in an instant, a folded paper token could make affection something to uncover. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, handmade valentines known as puzzle purses revealed verses and declarations of love as their carefully folded sections were opened. It’s a tradition from Jane Austen’s era: the time spent making the note was part of the sentiment. This keepsake echoes that slower, more personal pleasure. Write a thank-you that deserves remembering, a little encouragement or words of affection at its centre, then fold them away for someone to discover and keep.

For a Shakespeare lover, the flowers make the message feel especially well chosen. The design draws on Clara Pope’s Shakespeare’s Flowers, a botanical tribute gathering flowers mentioned in the writer’s works. Commissioned by Sir John Soane and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, the painting later hung in the Morning Room of Sir John Soane’s Museum. Its basket of flowers tilts towards a bust of Shakespeare and alludes to the mythical origins of the Corinthian order; Pope’s accompanying handwritten list links the flowers to their plays. A little literary history, a few words in your own handwriting, and something rather more enduring than a notification.

Details

• By The Keep Sake Press
• Pack of two hand-folded paper keepsakes
• Each opens in layers, with space for a personal message at the centre
• Includes a practice sheet and folding instructions
• Paper sheets measure 16 × 16 cm
• Printed on traditional laid paper
• Design based on Clara Pope’s painting Shakespeare’s Flowers

Perfect for

• Literary romantics drawn to handwritten notes and the rituals of another era
• Shakespeare lovers who treasure words chosen especially for them
• Thoughtful correspondents turning thanks, affection or encouragement into something to keep