I have crafted my mini pineapple series with watercolor and ink on paper through inspiration from a good friend who rocks the hospitality scene. Did you know pineapples are an old symbol of hospitality? Have a peek into more history with this story by apartmenttherapy.com below, and order up one of my cheery original watercolor pineapples!
"Today, pineapples are seen as a welcoming motif — their depictions serve as door knockers, bookends, and tchotchkes, and they almost always come in a hotel gift basket. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality and luxury, inspired by its historical rarity. There are several histories recorded regarding the pineapple as a symbol of status, the most popular being that of Christopher Columbus. According to historical document, Christopher Columbus discovered the pineapple on his second trip to the Caribbean (most specifically Guadeloupe) in 1493. Preferring the sweet taste of the pineapple and several other tropical island fruits to cannibalism, Columbus and his men embraced the fruit. They returned to Europe, where the pineapples became a symbol of great wealth, as European gardeners were not able to grow the fruits in the correct conditions until well into the 1600s (first recorded in the Duchess of Cleveland's hot house in 1642). Honored and distinguished guests were gifted the extremely fashionable pineapples by royalty.
The Colonial pineapple trade in the late 1600s and early 1700s solidified the pineapple as a status symbol. Pineapples were not only expensive, they were fragile! The sea voyage from the Caribbean to the colonies rotted most of the fruit during the hot and humid voyage. Hostesses scrambled to have the expensive, prickly fruit adorning their tables, and the trend grew. Pineapples have graced tables ever since — even continuing through the 1950s in America, where pineapple upside-down cakes and gelatin molds abounded. Their popularity eventually gave life to the host of architectural or ornamental pieces that you see today (i.e. door knockers)."
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