[image description: an illustration of violets with the text “Bisexual women and lesbians used to give violets to the women they were wooing, symbolizing their “Sapphic” desire. In a poem, Sappho described herself and a lover wearing garlands of violets. The giving of violets was popular from the 1910s to the 1950s.”]

My newest Lesbrary Patreon post is about this image, and how there are actually three different lesbian literary meanings to the giving of violets! It wasn’t a sudden popularity in Sappho’s poetry that lead to violets being associated with lesbians in the 1920s. 

If sapphic book nerdery like that interests you, consider becoming a patron! All patrons get access to Lesbian Literature 101 updates, where I share interesting tidbits like this, and $2 and up patrons get entered in monthly giveaways for queer women books!