Valentine - Mechanical - Round Birthday bouquet 1875

This anonymous Valentine bouquet, made of paper, offers a glimpse into the material culture of affection. Notice how the card’s design mimics a real bouquet, playing with dimension through its layered paper construction. The embossed details and vibrant lithography speak to a sophisticated, industrialized production process, indicative of a late-nineteenth-century culture of mass-produced sentiment. These weren’t unique, handmade expressions of love. These cards were a commercial product. The die-cut edges, metallic embellishments, and moving parts would have required specialized machinery and a skilled workforce. The card operates as a poignant symbol of affection, but also reflects the era’s evolving intersection of craft, technology, and consumerism. By considering the material and its making, we realize how deeply intertwined expressions of emotion are with economic and technological forces.