Boxed Valentine's Day Card 1850 - 1899

This small boxed Valentine's Day card of unknown date was made by an anonymous creator. The imagery of the card, featuring lovebirds and the words ‘A token of love’, speaks to the cultural rituals around courtship. Cards like this reflect the rise of a market for sentimental expressions. In the nineteenth century, changes in postal services, printing technology, and consumer culture, created both a demand for and a means of circulating inexpensive tokens of affection. This card, with its mass-produced design and simple message, represents the democratization of sentiment, making expressions of love accessible to a wider public, beyond the elite. Historians can study postal records, printing company archives, and social etiquette guides to learn more about the social context surrounding this artifact. Analyzing these cultural objects lets us reflect on how love and affection are mediated by social and economic forces.