Artist, Helen Hornberger, revived the techniques of French tole to create naturalistic representations of the state flowers. The artist used thin copper sheets as her base, and painted them with oil paint in the natural colors of the blossoms and leaves of the Hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei). A red blossom with a long yellow stamen and red bud surrounded by its sepals branch from a slender green stem with a jagged leaf. This is modeled after the Red Hibiscus, typical of older photos and postcards of Hawaii. Eight years after it was made, Hawaii designated the Yellow Hibiscus as its official state flower instead.
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The Congress of Representative Women at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago proposed that each U.S. state and territory select a flower to represent their state in the “National Garland of Flowers.” This resulted in the National Floral Emblem Society. Each state has adopted to represent the state and its people based on their importance to the state’s history, economy, folklore, or native varieties. Tole artist Helen Hornberger created each artificial flower representing each state to create for a bouquet displaying America’s floral diversity.
HAWAII: The Yellow Hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei), also known as Pua Ma`o Hau Hele, was named the official state flower of Hawaii in 1988. In the early 1920s, the all colors and varieties of Hibiscus were adopted as the official Territorial flower, and this symbol was maintained at statehood in 1959. It was not until 1988, that the Yellow Hibiscus was designated the official state flower because it is found only on the Hawaiian Islands, and grows on all of the main islands. Hibiscus is an ornamental flowering plant that thrives in the warm climates of the tropical and subtropical regions. It is a popular landscaping shrub for gardeners, but it is also very utilitarian and is used in hair products, herbal teas, and paper making. In Hawaiian culture, Hibiscus is a symbol of royalty, and it communicates power and respect. It is commonly given to visitors, state officials, & tourists in leis. While the Yellow Hibiscus is the official state flower, each Hawaiian island also designates its own official flower and lei material. The Yellow Hibiscus is an endangered species and few remain in the wild.
