Early Valentine’s Messages
On February 14th, St Valentine’s Day, countless people all over Europe and America will be sending Valentine’s Day cards to their chosen recipient. This romantic tradition became well established during the Victorian era. But hand-written Valentine’s Day messages have been exchanged since the 15th century. The earliest known example was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife, while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. He had been captured at the Battle of Agincourt, and wrote a Valentine’s Day greeting to his wife in 1415. This message now forms part of the manuscript collection at the British Library in London.
These early romantic messages began to have verses added and, later, pictures. Lovers decorated their sheets of paper with romantic symbols, flowers and love knots. Sometimes these messages included puzzles and poetry. The paper would then be folded, sealed with wax, and placed on a lady’s doorstep.
Valentine’s Day Cards
During the 18th century, the first Valentine’s Day greeting cards were handmade, as pre-made cards were not available at that time. In 1840, with the introduction of the Penny Post, it finally became affordable to send a handmade card by mail. Victorian Valentine’s cards were printed by engraving or woodcuts, and hand-coloured.
In 1847, an American artist, Esther Howland, began to produce quality Valentine’s cards. These were constructed to her own design, using embossed and coloured papers. Within three years, the top floor of her father’s house had been converted to a factory. Here, girls assembled the cards under Esther’s direction. Each working girl had a specific task. One would lay out the background, another would cut out paper pictures, and a third girl would stick these onto the cards. The designs were exquisite works of applied art, similar to fine embroidery. These beautiful cards retailed at $5 each, and they resulted in a turnover of $100,000 in a single year.
Mass-Produced Valentine’s Day Cards
However, these beautiful cards were overtaken by mass-produced Valentine’s cards. In 1879, George C. Whitney bought out the Howland business. He introduced printing presses and cheap paper to reduce costs. As a result, he became the biggest producer of American Valentine’s cards. Specialised cards were introduced for different trades and professions. For instance, there were images of sailors in ships, with their sweethearts waiting in port. Some comic Valentine’s cards were usually sent anonymously. The classier, romantic cards had real lace added, or a lock of real hair.
Today, 200 million Valentine’s cards are sold every year in the United States alone. And this is not counting innumerable e-cards! The most popular images are hearts, flowers, and loving couples, as well as cute animals. The Goldcrest Gallery collection includes several designs which are just right for Valentine’s Day – view our selected ‘Valentine’s Day Edit’ here. And enjoy browsing our greeting card range!