Sweet Violets

Around the turn of the 20th century, Rhinebeck, NY, was a hotbed for growing sweet violets, with nearly 400 special low-ceilinged greenhouses providing railcar-loads of blooms, tied into bunches and delivered to big cities like New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Philadelphia. Filmmaker Tobe Carey's documentary explores that forgotten history in Sweet Violets, noting that the flowers ultimately fell out of favor in the 1920s (one reason being that they became associated with lesbianism). Loving scans of historic photos and advertising art are interspersed with quotations from garden and society writers of the early 1900s, coupled with interviews of current Rhinebeck residents—only one of whom is now growing a limited number of plants, mostly to provide edible flowers for the restaurant trade. Also looking at the larger subject of violets in history, as well as culinary/medicinal uses (and featuring a rendition of the title song), this off-the-beaten track documentary is recommended. Aud: P. (F. Gardner)