Be My Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day from the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center! We may say we don't really need a valentine, but you have to admit, they are a nice little surprise...so whether you're giving them out or receiving one today, here's a little something for you romantics.

Valentines weren't mass-produced for a while, although they’ve been around since the Middle Ages. The first written valentine predecessor to our modern day valentines, is attributed to Charles, Duke of Orleans and were written in 1415. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt and, to pass the time, wrote to his wife back home in France love poems and notes. Who would have thought the first valentines would come from France? There are over 60 of his poems that are now part of the royal papers in the British Museum.

Paper valentines began to replace the usual valentine gifts or musical ballads in the 1500s, particularly in England. By the 17^th century, written valentines were a commonplace thing in Western countries.

In the 1700s, the “language of flowers”, a Persian poetical art, was introduced by Charles II of Sweden. It quickly caught on and as the red rose was believed to have been the favored flower of Venus, Roman Goddess of Love, it was universally accepted as the flower for Valentine’s Day. Not that the other flowers were rejected – holding secret conversations via bouquet was actually a thing so long as you knew what receiving a certain amount of lilies or lilacs meant.

There were “writers” that people could use to create their valentines. These were booklets filled with a variety of verses and messages that one might put on a gilt-edged paper or some kind of decorative sheet. Many valentines of the 18^th and early 19^th century were religious in nature, often depicting the “Sacred Heart”. It’s been thought that this might be how the tradition of a “Valentine Heart” gained momentum, with the angel that usually was also present in these drawings becoming “Cupid”.

You had to really commit to sending out your valentines. These were done by hand and probably would have taken a couple of days at least to get things just right. It wasn’t until the Victorian Era That printing made leaps in advances and Valentine cards were mass-produced around the 1850s. The modern postal service of the age also increased their popularity with their program of the “penny post”, which allowed more people to have an easier time mailing their valentines. Before, postage was so expensive people tended to hand-deliver their cards or notes and leave them on their sweetheart’s doorstep. These cards became known as “penny postcards” and were popular around 1890 to 1917. We have a few examples of such postcard valentines, with their one dollar stamp on the back.





The one with the couple is addressed to a Mrs. William Barker of Waterford, NY and roughly dates to around 1905. The second with the little girl and her cute bouquet of flowers is addressed to Mr. William Barker with the date February 14, 1908.

Did you awww? No? Well, keep reading then….

These valentines actually became collectible items, as it was considered “proper” to display ones collections and to even trade cards in the Victorian and Edwardian parlor. A party wasn’t complete unless the album came out. There was such a demand for them that photographers, studios, printers and businesses continually looked for new subjects and to make cards more innovative. The high-end card was the photographic postcard, which were actual photographs with a postcard-printed back. Photography studios would employ people to hand-tint and color the black-and-white images for valentine cards. Often the subject of the photo – or lithograph for those who couldn’t splurge on their valentine that year – would be women, children, flowers and couples, all arranged to portray the idealized virtues of the era. Many of the best cards came from Germany, like these ones at the museum which note “Made in Germany” next to the penny stamp on the back.

England was the site of the first commercial-type valentine, produced on embossed paper with was later perforated to make a lace-type design. In 1840, Esther A. Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, mass-produced the first American commercial valentines.  But the majority of early Victorian valentines continued to be made by hand from honeycombed tissue, watercolors, colored inks, paper puffs, embossed paper hears and of course, lace.

This love note addressed to Newton Eddy, was clearly made by hand with special paper and ink; a wax seal added a finishing touch to the note. It reads:

“To Newton,

So when the water glideth ever gentle
Slideth by meadows that the(y) be greener
So listen to our own beloved river

And think of me.

Wander in forests where the small flower layeth
Its fairy gem beside the giant tree
Lies to the dim brook fining whilst sleepeth

And think of me.

And when the moon riseth as she was dreaming
And treadeath with white feet the lulled sea
So silent as a star beneath her beaming.

And think of me.”

Of course, there have always been those not in the mood to send a love note. But if you still want to let someone know that you’re thinking of them, probably not in a loving attitude, you could always send a “vinegar card”.

They usually were short teasing and/or mocking verses about the intended’s looks, personality, and occupation, accompanied by comic designs. They were made even more difficult to handle since it was the receiver, not the sender, who ended up paying for the postage on these cards until about 1840. You had to pay for the privilege of getting mocked. Needless to say, sometimes they weren’t received very well and fights broke out. They came under scrutiny by religious and postal service scrutiny – Chicago’s Post Office in the late 19^th century rejected 25,000 cards on the grounds that they were “not fit” to be carried through United States Mail. But, they persisted and up until the 1940s and 50s, the cost of such “vinegar valentines” were only 5 cents.


By the end of the 1800s, the majority of valentines were machine-made. Many card companies popped up to provide people with options of card choice. The Hallmark Company was founded in 1910 and owns a collection of rare antique rarities that are sometimes displayed for the public to marvel over. On average, in the United States, over 190 million valentines are given out on Valentine’s Day (not including all those given out by children). That’s one way to spread some love around.

Have A Happy Valentine’s Day!