Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1887
Complete Left, 2nd Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1888
I, THERESE REINHERZ, Gentlewoman, in care of Eugen Gugel, Civil Engineer of
Munich in the Kingdom of Bavaria do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to a process for preserving natural flowers and leaves in their
fresh appearance by coating the same on one side or on both sides with wax or similar
substance.
The plant or other matter is first treated for some time according to its nature with
alcohol for the purpose of completely removing its aqueous contents so as to facilitate
the adhesion of the coating. To remove the alcohol the plant &c. is brought into an
air-bath of 80° Centigrade thereby at the same time increasing its capacity for
receiving the coating.
Subsequently the preserving mass is brushed on at a temperature, which is preferably
the lower the tenderer the flowers or leaves are, whereas green plants must be treated
at a temperature approaching the boiling point.
In most cases, wax is a suitable coating, it is however, for the sake of softness and
elasticity preferably mixed with suitable colourless substances as for instance caout-
chouc gelatine or equivalent.
The wax employed must correspond in colour to the object to be coated. For
colouring the wax, preferably aniline colours are used, which have a great colouring
capacity and can be better distributed in the wax than mineral colours. The colours
are dissolved in alcohol and added to the liquid wax by stirring. The dissolving
means soon evaporate, and a mass of homogenous colour is obtained. According to
the kind of plant, turpentine-oil copal lac spirit or oil-paint may be added to or may
replace the said substances or some of them.
:
The mass is carefully put on from behind so as to remain itself invisible, therefore
the flowers are not coloured, but the coating, which maintains them in shape and
colour. Leaves are given a particularly fine and natural gloss by brushing,

page_text: Particularly tender flowers are taken to pieces before the treatment and subsequently
reconnected with wire or wax. With green plants it is necessary to combine the
chlorophyle substance contained in the leaves with a corrosive, for instance acetate of
alumina or acetate of lead for the purpose of rendering them unsusceptible to light.
The plants treated as above described, have a splendid appearance, retain their
natural character and do not become brittle by the employment of the coating
substance.
HERBERT & Co.,
67, Strand,
Agents.
of Natural Plants, Flowers, and Leaves.
I, THERESE REINHERZ, Gentlewoman in care of Eugen Gugel, Civil Engineer of
Munich in the Kingdom of Bavaria do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a process for preserving natural flowers and leaves in their
fresh appearance by coating the same on one side or on both sides with wax or
similar substance.
The plant, flower, or other matter is first treated for some time according to its
nature with alcohol for the purpose of completely removing its aqueous contents so as
to facilitate the adhesion of the coating. To afterwards remove the alcohol the
plant &c. is brought into an air bath at a temperature of 80° Centigrade or thereabouts
which at the same time increases its capacity for receiving the coating. Subsequently
the preserving mass is laid on with a brush, generally at about the same temperature
being however preferably the lower, the tenderer the flowers or leaves are; green
plants being treated at a temperature approaching the boiling point.
In most cases wax is a suitable coating it is however, for the sake of softness and
elasticity preferably mixed with suitable colourless substances as for instance caout-
chouc gelatine or equivalent materials. The wax employed must correspond in colour
to the object to be coated.
For colouring the wax aniline colours are preferably used since these have a
great colouring capacity and can be better distributed in the wax than mineral

page_text: colours. The colours are disolved in alcohol and added to the liquid wax by stirring.
The solvent soon evaporates and a mass of homogenous colour is obtained. According
to the kind of plant, turpentine oil, copal, lac, spirit or oil paint may be added to or
may replace the said substances, or some of them.
The mass is carefully put on from behind so as to remain itself invisible therefore
the flowers are not coloured but the coating which maintains them in shape and
colour.
Leaves are given a particularly fine and natural gloss by brushing.
Particularly tender flowers are taken to pieces before the treatment and subsequently
rejoined with wire or wax.
With green plants it is necessary to combine the chlorophyll substance contained
in the leaves with a corrosive for instance acetate of alumina or acetate of lead for
the purpose of rendering them unsusceptible to light.
To stiffen the objects also paper, textile fabrics or fibres of the same may be placed
on or under the same after the coating such substances being subsequently likewise
covered with the coating mass.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
For preserving flowers leaves, and other parts of plants the process consisting
chiefly in coating them on one or both sides with coloured wax, paraffine or the like
melted, or dissolved in suitable solvents with or without the addition of elastic
substances such as caoutchouc gelatine and the like and the strengthening of said
flowers or the like by means of paper textile fabrics or fibres affixed and coated
substantially as set forth.
Did thin ond 1 of 1000