Valentine Card, "Coming Your Direction...a Wish with Warm Affection," circa 1973

Summary

The custom of sending messages of affection on February 14 dates back to Roman times, when mid-February was a time to meet and court prospective mates. The earliest American valentines were labors of love, handmade by the sender. The spread of commercially produced valentines in the second half of the nineteenth century made sending and receiving Valentine's Day cards a more lighthearted activity.

The custom of sending messages of affection on February 14 dates back to Roman times, when mid-February was a time to meet and court prospective mates. The earliest American valentines were labors of love, handmade by the sender. The spread of commercially produced valentines in the second half of the nineteenth century made sending and receiving Valentine's Day cards a more lighthearted activity.

Artifact

Valentine

Date Made

circa 1973

Collection Title

Greeting Card Collection 

 On Exhibit

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

94.9.26

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Printing (Process)

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 6.188 in

Width: 4.313 in

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