The genus of this easy-to-stylize flower has nearly 300 varieties that bloom in many colors—thus its name came from Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, who linked heaven and earth. In many cultures, the iris has symbolized luck, and also friendship and the promise of love.
It’s often said that the flower’s three upright petals stand for faith, valor, and wisdom. In Christian symbolism, the blade-like leaves suggest the sorrows that pierced Mother Mary’s heart.
In Chinese, the word for iris means “purple butterfly,” and the flower is associated with the softness of early summer. Despite its name, the fleur-de-lys (“flower of the lily”) is clearly derived from an iris flower, and has been associated with the French monarchy and France since the Middle Ages.
Related to aquatic motifs such as the dragonfly and carp (koi), the iris was often used as a decorative design in the Aesthetic, Art Nouveau, and Arts & Crafts movements; the fascination with water motifs came from the influence of Japanese design on European decorative arts after the reopening of trade in 1854.
Patricia Poore is Editor-in-chief of Old House Journal and Arts & Crafts Homes, as well as editorial director at Active Interest Media’s Home Group, overseeing New Old House, Traditional Building, and special-interest publications.
Poore joined Old House Journal when it was a Brooklyn-brownstoner newsletter in the late 1970s. She became owner and publisher and, except for the years 2002–2013, has been its editor. Poore founded the magazines Old-House Interiors (1995–2013) and Early Homes (2004–2017); their content is now available online and folded into Old-House Journal’s wider coverage. Poore also created GARBAGE magazine (1989–1994), the first unaffiliated environmental consumer magazine.
Poore has participated, hands-on, in several restorations, including her own homes: a 1911 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and a 1904 Tudor–Shingle Style house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she brought up her boys and their wonderful dogs.
