Valentine 1874

This is Kate Greenaway’s ‘Valentine’, a charmingly sentimental color wood engraving from the late 19th century. The composition is neatly divided between the visual and the textual. On one side, a young woman leans out of a casement window, entrusting a message to a dove. On the other side, a poem is printed, expressing similar sentiments of longing and affection. Notice how Greenaway uses color to establish a mood of gentle melancholy. The soft pinks of the roses and the woman’s bonnet, contrasted with the muted greens and browns, create a visual harmony that is both sweet and slightly melancholic. The dove, a symbol of peace and love, acts as a messenger, bridging the gap between the sender and the recipient. The architectural elements – the window frame, the birdcage – create a sense of enclosure, reinforcing the theme of longing and the desire for connection that pervades the image and the poem. This is not merely a sentimental greeting card, but a carefully constructed exploration of emotion and representation.