Valentine 1874

This Valentine card, made by Kate Greenaway, depicts a boy and girl amidst a fairy-tale setting, brimming with symbols of love, innocence, and the pastoral idyll. Note the border of flowers and fruit, emblems of fertility and affection, framing the central scene with the children. The children themselves evoke a sense of purity and nascent romance. The girl carries a bouquet, while the boy extends his arm around her. The intimate gesture, combined with the dreamy landscape, recalls similar idyllic scenes found in Renaissance paintings, where youthful love is often set within idealized natural settings, laden with symbolic flora. The presence of the lily in the poem is particularly fascinating. It represents purity and beauty, yet here it is of such immense size that it overshadows the sky, enabling fairies to dwell in its branches. Such symbols can be seen in many contexts, from religious art to children's tales. The lily motif resurfaces, evolving with each telling, its subconscious allure enduring across time.