Valentine 1845 - 1875

This embossed card was made, anonymously, to function as a Valentine. The postmark suggests it was sent in early February 1873. The history of Valentine’s Day and its association with romantic love is fascinating; its popular celebration arose in parallel with the development of an efficient, national postal system. During the 19th century, printed cards became cheaper to produce, and the postal service allowed ordinary people to communicate across long distances as never before. Valentine’s cards from this period are an interesting illustration of the democratization of art and the development of mass culture. These cards, which were often quite ornate, played a social role similar to that of social media today: they broadcast private feelings in a public way. To interpret this artwork better, we could research the history of the postal service, the printing industry, and the social rituals surrounding courtship in 19th-century America.