Sacco

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-06-30 Diary Coverage: Up to 1874-01-01

Overview

Sacco appears 12 times in Marie Bashkirtseff's diary and was clearly a flower shop or florist establishment in Nice that the family patronized regularly. The shop played a role in the social life of the expatriate community, as flowers were essential for social occasions.

The Establishment

Sacco was:

• Flower Shop/Florist: Specializing in flowers and plants
• High-End Establishment: Catering to wealthy clientele
• Social Meeting Place: Where society members might encounter each other
• Regular Supplier: To the Bashkirtseff household

Notable Visit - November 5, 1873

Marie provides a detailed account of visiting Sacco with the Howard family:

• Accompanied by Willy, Helene, Lise, and Aggie Howard
• "Plantus" (possibly M. Plantus, an old man) was examining flowers
• The visit was part of a social outing
• Shows the shop was a respectable place for young ladies

Social Significance

Flower shops like Sacco were important because:

• Social Necessity: Flowers needed for visits, gifts, and entertaining
• Meeting Ground: Respectable place to encounter acquaintances
• Status Symbol: Quality of flowers reflected social standing
• Cultural Practice: Flower-giving was essential to 19th century etiquette

Business Practices

Based on diary mentions:

• Personal Service: Likely knew customers' preferences
• Home Delivery: Probably delivered to villas
• Seasonal Offerings: Different flowers for different occasions
• Credit Accounts: Wealthy families likely had accounts

Location and Clientele

Sacco was probably:

• Located in the fashionable quarter of Nice
• Near other luxury shops
• Accessible to the villa districts
• Frequented by international clientele

Cultural Context

In 1870s Nice:

• Flowers were integral to social life
• Gardens and floral displays showed wealth
• Flower language (floriography) was understood
• Fresh flowers needed constantly for:

- Social calls - Dinner parties - Personal adornment - Home decoration - Gifts and condolences

Relationship to Other Businesses

Sacco appears alongside mentions of:

• Other luxury providers
• Establishments catering to wealthy visitors
• Part of the network serving expatriate community

Questions for Further Research

• Was Sacco an Italian family business?
• Where exactly was the shop located?
• Did they specialize in particular flowers?
• How long did the business operate?
• Were they suppliers to other notable families?

%% 2025-06-30T22:55:00 RSR: Created entry for Sacco flower shop based on 12 diary mentions %%