The History of Valentine Cards

Paper greetings with riddles or poems on them have been used in the celebration of Valentine's Day for hundreds of years. Legend has it that the original Saint Valentine was imprisoned for trying to convert people to Christianity from ancient Roman beliefs. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailer. Accounts vary about the original story, but some say his crime was marrying (he was a priest) soldiers when the emperor forbade them to marry. Either way, when St. Valentine was going off to be executed, he sent a note to the girl and signed it "From your Valentine.

This was the first official "valentine" message. Roman men continued the practice by passing notes of love to their sweethearts on February 14th each year. In 1419, Charles, duke of Orleans, sent a valentine card to his wife from the Tower of London where he was imprisoned. This is reported to be the first true valentine card.

The British Museum has on display a Valentine from the 1400's. Valentine cards became popular about that time in Europe, and especially in England. At the time they were handmade, of course, but by the early 1800's, factory made valentines came on the scene. They consisted of hand-painted black and white pictures decorated with fabric ribbons and lace. In the middle of the century, cards started being decorated with lace made of paper.

The first American valentines were made by Esther Howland in 1850. She received an English valentine in 1847 and was intrigued by it. After ordering supplies from England and taking orders, she found that she had to hire friends to help create enough to meet the demand. She began with an assembly line in her home, but the business grew into a profitable business. She sold out to George C. Whitney who continued to make valentines similar to Howland's.

Esther Howland's valentines were characterized by elaborate embossed designs, intricate cut out patterns, and sentimental pictures of young couples with cupids hovering over them. She added interest by placing a thin sheet of paper behind the cut out lace patterns to make them stand out. Gold foil was sometimes used to embellish her valentines, too. European valentines from the same era feature colorful designs that sometimes included mechanical parts that moved. As valentine manufacturing became more complex, cards began to feature fold-out and pop-up elements.

By the 1950's humor began to appear more frequently on valentines, and some of it was sarcastic. The economy was changing such that the middle class was emerging. This prompted some people to live beyond their means in an effort to appear of a higher class than they actually were. This tendency was teased in valentines of this era so much that they were sometimes called "vinegar valentines.

In general, valentines have always reflected the economy and the culture as well as the heartfelt feelings of the people buying them.

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