“Flower pressing began in the West in earnest during the late 1800s, after trade — and the exchange of ideas — opened with Japan. There, oshibana, the art of arranging flattened dried blooms into ornate compositions on paper, had been part of the culture for centuries. The technique then made its way, albeit in less elaborate form, to America and Britain, where people began pressing and even scrapbooking botanicals they’d collect at home or on holiday. Later, during World War I, the self-soothing craft evolved from a hobby into something more poignant: Soldiers picked wildflowers and weeds growing near the trenches in Europe and mailed them home inside letters as forget-me-nots to their lovers and families. ...”
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