Sweet Violets

Sweet Violets is the surprising saga of the Violet Capital of the World—Rhinebeck, New York. In the Gilded Age and beyond, sweet violets were the flower of choice for Valentine’s Day and Easter, and they were frequently used as a fragrant corsage. By 1912, Rhinebeck was producing a quarter of all cultivated violets grown in the United States. Nearly 400 violet houses dotted backyards and fields in Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Hyde Park, and towns throughout Dutchess County. At Easter more than a million blooms were shipped by train to Eastern and Midwestern cities. Dutchess County became known as “The Violet Belt,” and Rhinebeck was “The Buckle on the Belt.” The flower’s popularity lasted well beyond the Second World War; the last “Violet King” didn’t close his greenhouses until 1979. This documentary by Tobe Carey includes interviews with historians, rare film footage and photographs, 19th century music, postcards, poetry and art. ©2012. Running time is 40 minutes.