IMPROVEMENTS IN BOUQUET HOLDERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charlotte Delevante, of Kimbolton Place, Brompton,
in the County of Middlesex, Spinster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BOUQUET HOLDERS."
Sealed the 12th March 1858, and dated the 18th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charlotte Delevante at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her Petition, on the
18th September 1857.
I, CHARLOTTE DELEVANTE, of Kimbolton Place, Brompton, in the County of
Middlesex, Spinster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BOUQUET HOLDERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of holder for bouquets,
the object being to make the same capable of expansion to receive flowers, and
of closing upon them when inserted in the holder, and thus holding them
firmly in place. In order to attain this object I make the holder by pre-
ference of metal, and somewhat in outward form like a trumpet-mouthed tube;
this tube at the trumpet-mouth end I divide down the middle, and cause one
portion to swing on a hinge, for the purpose of expanding the holder to admit
the flowers. For closing the holder a loose ring or other fastening may be
employed; when using the ring, I slip it over yielding spring knobs, which
will serve to retain it in position; or in place of using a hinged piece I

page_text: propose to make longitudinal slits in the holder (which in this case will be
composed of elastic sheet metal), and thereby give it a natural tendency to
expand; the holder may then be closed upon the inserted bouquet by a sliding
ring or other analogous device.
It will be obvious that my Invention of an expanding holder admits of
a variety of modifications, and that it is susceptible of many kinds of
ornamentation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charlotte Delevante in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLOTTE
DELEVANTE, of. Kimbolton Place,. Brompton, in the County of. Middlesex,
Spinster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charlotte Delevante, Her special license, that I, the said Charlotte
Delevante, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charlotte Delevante, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention" for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BOUQUET HOLDERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charlotte Delevante, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention;
and in what manner the same was to be performed;" and "cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months. next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I the said Charlotte Delevante," do hereby declaré
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in 'and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and.to.the
letters and figures marked thereón (that is to say) :-

page_text: ...This Invention relates to a novel construction of holder. for bouquets, the
object being to make the same capable of expansion to receive the stalks of
the flowers forming the bouquet and closing, upon them, so as to hold the
flowers securely in place.
8
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn the manner in which I prefer
to carry out the object of this Invention, Fig. 1 being a side elevation of the
improved bouquet holder, and Fig. 2, a plan view of the same. The holder
is composed of sheet metal formed into a conical tube, the lower end of which
is closed and the other or open end is made trumpet-mouthed, to facilitate the
insertion of the bouquet. At the trumpet-mouthed end of the holder a
moveable piece a is provided, which is connected to the part b, forming
continuation of the conical tube by a vertical hinge c, upon which the part a
swings, as shewn by dots in the Figures. A catch is also provided at d to
hold the part a fast in its closed position. Projecting inwards from this
hinged piece a is a pin e, which as the holder is closed upon an inserted
bouquet, will strike into the group of stalks (which have been bound together
as usual) and effectually prevent the bouquet when in an inverted position
from slipping or shaking out of the holder.
I would remark that the bouquet holder admits of various modifications in
construction without departing from the principle of my Invention, which
consists in providing such holders with the means of expanding or opening out
at the mouth, for the purpose of facilitating the insertion of the bouquet and
enabling the holder to close tightly upon it; thus, in place of using a hinged
piece, the tubular holder may be slit down a portion of its length (the conical
tube being in this instance composed of elastic sheet metal), and a sliding ring
may be used to press the severed portions of the tube closer together. A
sliding ring may also be used in place of the spring catch shewn in the
Drawing for closing the hinged piece, but when a ring is employed for that
purpose it will be necessary or desirable to apply to the holder a yielding
spring knob, to prevent the ring from slipping back when it is pushed up into
position. The holder it will be understood, besides being made of metal, may
be constructed of horn, ivory, or other suitable material, and may be orna-
mented by embossing, carving, or painting, as thought most desirable.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Bouquet Holders," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
I claim constructing bouquet holders so that they may expand or open out at
the mouth to facilitate the insertion of flowers therein, and by closing upon

page_text: the stalks of the inserted flowers hold them firmly in place in the manner
above.described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charlotte Develante, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
.
J. W. MOFFATT,
-66, Chancery Lane.
CHARLOTTE DELEVANTE. (Ls.)