Phaidon’s The Rose Book – A Celebration of Nature’s Most Iconic Flower
Whether adorning ancient mosaics or haute couture gowns, the rose has captivated imaginations for millennia. In Phaidon’s The Rose Book, this iconic flower receives the lavish tribute it deserves—a visually rich and multidisciplinary journey through art, design, fashion, history, and horticulture. With essays by Amy de la Haye, Victoria Gaiger, and Kristine Paulus, the book presents over 220 exquisite images that span centuries and cultures. Readers will discover the rose as muse, messenger, and monument—from Van Gogh to Dior, O’Keeffe to McQueen.
We had the pleasure of speaking with contributor Kristine Paulus, a writer and the Collection Development Librarian at the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden. Below, Kristine shares what it was like to work on this remarkable publication, what she discovered about the rose’s ancient lineage, and why preserving plant stories like these is more vital than ever.
W. D. & H. O. Wills, Roses cigarette cards, 1936. (pages 56-57) Color offset lithographic cards, each 31/8 × 23/8 in. / 7.9 × 6.1 cm
What drew you personally to contribute to The Rose Book, and how did your role as a librarian at the New York Botanical Garden inform your writing?
I think that I’d probably work on any book that Phaidon publishes, because their books are all so wonderful! We have all their garden books in our collections and many of their books, like The Rose Book, feature images from our collections.
This one was a no-brainer because I adore roses. I am so fortunate that the New York Botanical Garden is home to one of the world’s greatest rose gardens, the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, and the LuEsther T. Mertz, where I work, is one of the world’s most comprehensive botanical and horticultural libraries, so it has everything I needed to do research for the book.
In your introduction, you explore the horticultural history of the rose. What are some surprising or lesser-known facts you discovered during your research?
I guess I hadn’t realized that roses are such ancient plants because I mostly thought of them as modern, cultivated garden plants. I knew that they were important in ancient Greece and ancient Rome—but not to the extent that I learned while working on the book—but they’re even older—fossils discovered in Colorado show that they existed 35 million years ago.
The book showcases over 220 images from art, fashion, film, and more. Do you have a favorite(s) depiction of the rose featured in the book—and why?
I have many favorites, so it’s hard to choose! But if I had to pick one, I might choose the 1937 photograph of the New York Botanical Garden’s Rose Garden, taken by Fleda Griffith. Fleda was the Garden’s staff photographer at the time and she took mostly glass lantern slides. Her work was recently rediscovered by my librarian colleague, who happens to be named Rose – Rose Vincent. While Fleda’s work was frequently published in the bulletins and journals of NYBG, this is the first time her work has been published in a book so we’re all very excited for this. Her work is gorgeous – and she hand-painted them! So much detail.
Roses have carried so much symbolism across time and cultures. How do you think that symbolism has evolved, and what does the rose represent to you today?
Meanings have been ascribed to flowers, and roses in particular, for a very long time. It was especially popular during the Victorian era, through the art of floriography, or “the language of flowers.” There’s a great essay in The Rose Book, by Shane Connolly, about this.
But even before the Victorians, roses were a symbol of love, and continue to be – if the millions of stems sold on Valentine’s Day alone are any indication. The rose’s association with love spans continents and centuries.
Another favorite image from The Rose Book is the green rose, a preserved specimen from NYBG’s Herbarium. While the flower isn’t particularly showy, American folklore suggests that it has ties to the abolitionist movement during the 19th century. According to our rosarian Stephen Scanniello, it is said that members of the Quaker religion, who were fervently against slavery, planted them in their front yard, signifying that they were conductors of the Underground Railroad, a series of secret havens used by enslaved African Americans to escape northward to freedom.
As someone immersed in botanical literature, how does The Rose Book stand apart from other floral or plant-focused publications you’ve encountered?
The Rose Book covers a lot of genres – all of which are connected through the image of the rose. Pierre-Joseph Redouté's 1824 watercolor collection Les Roses, which is still considered one of the finest records of botanical illustration, is included, of course. And there are many exquisite examples of the roses being used in fashion and jewelry, but there are some interesting examples from pop culture too. For instance, the image of the skeleton with roses associated with the Grateful Dead. You don’t have to be a Dead fan to appreciate the story behind the image – it’s quite interesting.
The book beautifully blends science, art, and storytelling. Why do you think it's important to preserve and share plant history in such a multidisciplinary way?
Plants are important in so many ways and our very survival depends on them. At the same time, “plant blindness” is a real problem – that is our general lack of awareness of the importance of plants. This is especially important with the changing climate and the need to preserve biodiversity as more species face extinction. Any publication that helps broaden people’s appreciation of plants will help efforts to save them, and The Rose Book definitely does that, even if its focus is just one genre – in this case, the rose!
For artists, writers, or gardeners inspired by this book, what resources or advice would you offer to deepen their relationship with roses?
Spend time in public rose gardens! Grow some roses of your own. And befriend a rosarian! So much of what I’ve learned came from our own rosarian, our Curator of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, Stephen Scanniello. Rose growers are some of the most passionate horticulturists I’ve ever met – and they are also historians and often great storytellers too!
