Valentines Day

The Victorian era was a romantic time. Prosperity fostered dreams of the "happy ever after" life. Songs like "I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair ", keepsakes from dances and dinners, long letters to friends, and lovely cards depicting cherubs, fairys, doves and flowers characterized the era. It was a time when women were considered the center of the family, the object of affection, the godess on the pedestal, the one to be protected from the harsh side of life and things she could not begin to understand. In some communities Valentine gift giving far exceeded Christmas in cost.

Most of the first valentines were handmade with excessively ornate drawings and cutouts and decorated with any and everything from ribbons, dried flowers and feathers to locks of hair. They could have hand penned sentiments, verses could be cut out of magazines and newspapers, or for the lady or gentleman who could not come up with his or her own verses, a "valentine writer" could be bought; a collection of popular love poems suitable for the occasion. Commercially printed valentines first appeared in England and other parts of Europe about 1810. Within the next 20 years they had grown in popularity so much they were being mass produced. Most of the first mass produced valentines were black and white lithographs which were hand colored or colored by stencil. From 1830 to 60 the valentines relied heavily on the use of lavish lace. For a brief time in the 1850's popular Valentine greetings were in the form of paper currency or checks. They entitled the bearer to payment in a thousand kisses, among other things. So skillful was these made that they incured the disaproval of the government. In some places they were banned entirely. Another type of valentine was also available. Comic, rude and pornographic valentines were available for sending to the town's philanderers, crumudgeons, and enemies.

While constructing her valentines, she was struck by the thought that she may be able to sell her creations. Operating from her family's parlor, she sent off her brother, a salesman, to call on merchants. He returned with a handfull of orders. Her beautiful fanciful cards were also displayed in her father's book store. Within weeks orders amounting to $5,000. were coming in. Working on the third floor of her family's home, she hired a work force of girl friends and relatives to help assemble cards. Each girl had a specific job; an assembly line.

Now Esther's cards were not only Valentines, but greeting cards of all kinds. Each year the cards became fancier and more expensive. Unable to find the high quality paper she needed in the United States, she imported it from England. Hand painted satin hearts, silk flowers, gilded papers, ribbons, trinkets, and glazed paper wafers were added. Everything was inspected by Esther before it was boxed. By the 1870's sales had reached $100,000. a year.

Esther had become a rare Victorian creature, a

rich, respected, business woman.

The Gay Nineties was the era of the most exquisitely elaborate valentines we think of when we think of Victorian valentines. Decorated with spun glass, wax flowers, beads, tinsel, fringe and layers of paper and fabric, they came in one inch thick boxes. Imported from Germany and England, they were favorites of the middle and upper classes who could afford the up to $25.00 price.

At the turn of the century stand up valentines and three dimensional cards replaced the fancy lace boxed valentines. Some had honeycomb hearts and walls that, when opened, offered bees with honeycomb paper stomachs, honeycomb hearts and balloons. Some valentines had fold down fronts that gave the layers of scenes a wonderful dimension. Pull tabs made characters pop up or wave arms and legs on other cards, heads turned, wheels moved, birds fluttered and ships tossed to and fro on gilded waves.

The 1920's saw a big change for valentines. It was the era of the flapper, and a new look came with the new woman. No longer feminine and sentimental, the modern era called for small cute snappy verses, and valentines with comic characters, cute children and animals.

The first American valentine entrepreneur was Esther Howland, a young lady living in Worchester Mass. A graduate of Mount Holyoke Seminary, she had recieved her first English made valentine when she was nineteen years old. She was captivated by it, and began making her own from paper and lace for friends and family.