To celebrate the start of spring, this photo depicts the Garden Club of East Hampton’s first flower show in 1916. Hosted at the home of May Groot Manson (1859-1917) and her husband, Thomas Lincoln Manson (1849-1918), it showcased participants’ “best specimens of flowers and vegetables in season.”
Manson was active in the civic life of East Hampton, and her efforts in the women’s suffrage movement are well known.
This first flower show was actually delayed a year. The club had planned one for 1915 at the East Hampton Library, about a year after the club’s founding by Mary Woodhouse. It never happened, however, as storm damage to the flowers rendered them unusable, although the library still hosts flower shows for the Garden Club to this day.
Finally, on July 14, 1916, the Garden Club managed to host its first show, which also had categories for fruits, vegetables, and several specialty competitions, including table arrangements, Victorian nosegays, and cut-flower arrangements. Photographs of many entries can be found on Digital Long Island.
All attendees were invited to vote for the most popular exhibit, a sort of precursor to the modern “crowd favorite” category found in many competitions, while the other categories were judged exclusively by members. Candace Stimson (1869-1944) won for the most popular exhibit, along with the second-place prize for her table arrangement. For her efforts, she received a silver vase provided by Mary Woodhouse, the club president.
The show was a rousing success, attended by over 300 horticulture enthusiasts, who were served tea and lemonade to mark the occasion.
Julia Tyson is a librarian and archivist in the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.
