The figure of St Valentine is as mysterious as the emotion he has come to symbolize. One popular and dramatic version of his sainthood has him penning a note to his jailer's blind daughter before his execution and signing it 'from your Valentine' (which naturally resulted in her regaining her sight). The February date on which we commemorate this saint may either be the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial (about 270 A.D.) or may simply have been a convenient way for the savvy Pope Gelasius to assimilate the pagan Lupercalia festival into the Christian faith.

Card exchanges are generally thought to have begun in 1415, with a missive sent from the Tower of London by the Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned there. Early cards were homemade, and often quite elaborate with ribbons, lace and other embellishments. Later cards were assembled by hand with purchased materials (like the one shown above).

Commercial card makers begun producing valentines in Europe in the 1800s. Production in America started a bit later (1840s) when Esther Howland put together an assembly line to create her very collectible cards. In true American fashion, once she became successful, a slew of American artists and printers jumped in on the game creating a wealth of cards for us to admire today.

Valentine Greetings

3 1/8" x 3 3/4"
circa 1910s-1920s
made in GERMANY

Want to be my SPACE MATE?

2 3/4" x 4 3/4"
circa 1950s/1960s
made by GIBSON