Flower Exhibitions for a Nationalistic Regime: The Propaganda and the Press in the 1940s Portuguese Dictatorship

Abstract

This article examines how the 1940s Lisbon Flower Exhibitions and their impact on the press served the propaganda of the Portuguese dictatorship as they fostered and disseminated a positive image of the government’s policies and competencies. The propaganda used the garden culture to fabricate an idea of national identity, bestowing Portugal as a modern and culturally elevated regime. Based on archive files and press clippings, this research demonstrates that constructing the concept of ‘national flowers’ was used to fuel the pride of nationalistic feelings according to the regime’s policy. However, the investigation also revealed an inconsistency between narrative and practice in designing and applying this concept, as exotic or ‘foreign’ plants continued to appear side by side with the native ones.