Birds were originally caged for their exotic beauty nearly four centuries ago in ancient Egypt. Doves and parrots were early favorites. The first primitive bird cages were likely made of twigs, rope mesh, reeds or bamboo. Gradually, as birds became more popular with the wealthy, cages became more elaborate. Bamboo and wooden cages were in many kitchens in the early American colonies and heavily ornamented birdcages became popular in the Victorian Parlors...
Just for fun, here are a few famous bird owners...
 |
| Popular among the royalty... King Henry VIII, King George V (named his Charlotte), Queen Victoria (named hers Coco) and Marie Antoinette all had African Greys... Photo: fpla-images.co.uk |
 |
| Winston Churchill had a female blue and gold macaw, named "Charlie" Print: Jules Scheffer |
 |
| Steven Spielberg has a Panama Amazon Parrot named Blanche. But seems as though Blanche had issues, Steven is pictured with Ken Globus - the bird whisperer ... Photo: theBirdwhisperer.com |
Lastly, Martha Washington, first lady, had Polly the parrot. Rumor has it that George Washington hated the parrot :-)
But I am not looking for anything requiring upkeep and much less a bird whisperer... My birdcages will never house real birds, I'm just looking for the "essence of" :-) like these two that have painted birds inside. They will hang in my outdoor, covered patio area. I think they are beautiful!
Then I got three birdcage cloches (French term for "bell") that can be placed over some small flowering plants, I'm thinking these will go nicely in my kitchen or dining area...
Sources: The Well-Appointed Life, Planned Parrothood
No comments:
Post a Comment