Untitled Valentine (Country Girls with Dog) c. 1873

Curator: What strikes me first is the shimmering gold surrounding this otherwise simple scene. The effect is ornate, almost theatrical. Editor: Indeed. This is an "Untitled Valentine (Country Girls with Dog)" from around 1873, a print and watercolor drawing now held at The Art Institute of Chicago, attributed to John Windsor. Looking at it, it’s interesting to consider what valentines signified in that era. Curator: Focusing on the tangible, I’m drawn to the elaborate die-cut work. Notice how the gilt layer, with its embossed trees and figures, frames the central vignette? The textural contrast between the flattened figures and the rendered landscape draws my eye. Editor: The embossed figures definitely signal to something broader than pastoral charm. Consider how these decorative valentines became increasingly industrialized in the mid-19th century. What was once a unique, hand-crafted token transformed into mass-produced ephemera, affordable and widely circulated. The labour involved would be quite specific, think of the skilled workers producing the embossing plates. Curator: Semiotically speaking, the arrangement is curious. The scene is conventional, but the level of embellishment feels excessive. The gold overshadows the humble "country girls," drawing attention to the commodified value of the token itself rather than its subject. Editor: Agreed. The "rustic" scene of the girls with the goat and rural village background contrasts the materiality. What do we really value in art, or perhaps in sentiment, production quality or the symbolic depth that the artist may imply? How did such images impact romanticism at the time? The industrialization of affection seems paradoxical now, perhaps it did then as well. Curator: An incisive reading. Overall, this object illuminates the relationship between industry, emotion, and aesthetic production during a pivotal period. Editor: The valentine is a beautiful artifact, it encapsulates the complexities of its time through its form, materials, and mass-produced imagery.