Valentine - Mechanical bouquet, Bride and Groom 1870 - 1880

This Valentine card with a mechanical bouquet, was probably made in Europe or America, where it was acquired, sometime in the nineteenth century. As an anonymous creation, its origins are veiled, yet its existence speaks volumes about the evolving cultural landscape of love and marriage. In this period the commercialization of holidays began to redefine personal relationships, intertwining sentiment with consumerism. Cards like these, with their delicate floral arrangements and hidden mechanisms, became tokens of affection within the rituals of courtship and betrothal. But it is impossible to ignore the way these cards uphold the prevailing narratives of gender and domesticity, where women were often equated with beauty, fragility, and the domestic sphere. Reflecting on this card, one cannot help but consider the complexities of love, gender, and the commodification of emotions in a rapidly changing world.