Valentine Cards

The rose is red, the violet's blue,

The honey's sweet, and so are you.

Thou art my love and I am thine;

I drew thee to my Valentine:

The lot was cast and then I drew,

And Fortune said it shou'd be you.

Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784)

Happy Valentine's Day!  I have read that the Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentine cards are sent world-wide each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.  Wow!  That's a lot of love!

Looking through some vintage Valentine cards, it struck me that many of them would be considered inappropriate, sexist, racist, and downright creepy by today's standards.  Here are some examples of such cards.

Remember that the worm may turn -
You'd better treat me right..Tho' you're the apple of my eye -
There's others still in sight!

You ain't so mild little girl, but you certainly satisfy!

Hey Valentine!  Have you burned out your clutch?
You don't take hold like you used to.

Some likes light girls, some likes dark girls, but all I wants is a good cook.

Your coldness gave me the flew.

The point is will you be my Valentine or I'll nail you yet, my Valentine

Now or Never Will you be my Valentine

Be my Valentine little one - or I will have to use my gun.

I ain't kidding Valentine - I'd like to kidnap you!

It's "loaded" but only with love......for you, Valentine

Why the Frigid-Aire Valentine?  I'm ready to be de-frosted

I'm out hunting for a Valentine.  Are you game?

My Valentine, Can't I bring you to your knees too?  Love me

Baby, you sure play havoc with my heart.

You built a wall so fast and strong,
But with my magic ray, it won't last long!

Snow use - I love you Valentine!

Your "frigid air" is not so nice,
don't treat me like a cake of ice!

Let's come to the point - Be My Valentine

If you wanta be mine, fork over your heart

I won't let go until you say yes, kid.

Now will you be my valentine?

I'm bound to be yours if you'll be mine

I'd snap you up if you said be my valentine

You're sweet enough to eat, my Valentine

It "strikes me" that I love you.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, and the oldest known Valentine is one by Charles, Duke of Orleans which he wrote to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The poem, written in 1415, is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to comprise a valentine for Catherine of Valois. 

The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

The Howland Family operated the largest book and stationery store in Worcester, Massachusetts. After graduating at the age of nineteen, Esther received an intricate English Valentine from one of her fathers' business acquaintances, and she was sure that she was capable of making similar or even better ones.  Persuading her father to order lace paper and other supplies from England and New York City, she made a dozen samples, which her brother added to his catalog for his next sales trip. Hoping for as much as $200 in orders, they were shocked when her brother returned with more than $5,000 in advance sales.
Designing and creating these unforgettable cards required creativity and inspiration. The finished products suggested fantasy and romance, and set trends for more than thirty years. While other companies competed for sales to the public, none could compete with the value, taste, and style of Esther Howland. She was not the first to create Valentines in America, but she is credited with having popularized the lace Valentine, turning it into a major industry. The honor, "The Mother of the American Valentine" first appeared in a newspaper article shortly after her death. 

I'm sure the beauty and suggested romance of her cards are a far cry from those shown here!  One has to wonder what type of relationship the recipients of these cards had with the givers.  Ahh, love is a many splendored thing!

{All images were found using Google Image.  If they belong to you, let me know and I will link them back to you.}