Sundials and Roses of Yesterday

This highly illustrated 1902 work illuminates the social history of two 'garden delights': sundials and roses.

The American author Alice Morse Earle (1851–1911) practised a distinctive form of historical writing which made innovative use of material evidence in its focus on the details of everyday life. Lavishly illustrated, this 1902 work illuminates the social history of two 'garden delights': sundials and roses.The American social historian and antiquarian Alice Morse Earle (1851–1911) published this lavishly illustrated book, among the last of her works, in 1902. By this time she had developed a distinctive style of historical writing which made innovative use of material evidence in its focus on the details of everyday life. She was particularly interested in family and society in colonial America, and her views about the importance of ancestry were reflected in her membership of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her fascination for beautiful things found lively expression in this learned and charming exploration of two 'garden delights'. Drawing readily on folklore, literature and anecdote, Earle brings to life her history of sundials and roses in Europe and America, touching on practical, aesthetic and symbolic aspects.