Posy Art

“Ring a ring o’ roses a pocket full of posies” is a nursery rhyme many children learn and play to. When people think of posies they think about the song or pretty flowers, or posy art pieces such as the two Playful Posies set by artist Jocelyn Anderson-Tapp. Or of artist Jane Wooster Scott’s A Profusion of Posies whose varied artwork style conjures memories of the National Heritage in America.

But the rhyme and the game “Ring a ring o’ roses” actually dates back the Middle Ages century during plague times when a nosegay, tussie-mussie or a posy was used as a small flower bouquet. They were usually worn around the head or on a lady’s bodice, or carried around by people. Many people using posies today or appreciating posy canvas artwork have no idea the about the true history of what posies were once used for.