Child's Homemade Paper Valentine, circa 1920

THF99120 / Child's Homemade Paper Valentine, circa 1920
01

Artifact Overview

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 Details

Artifact

Valentine

Date Made

circa 1920

Subject Date

circa 1920

Creator Notes

Made in Iron River, Michigan by Edna Hedwig Zyskowski.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2008.103.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Virginia Kent Graybill

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Cutting (Dividing)
Hand coloring
Handmade
Handwriting
Homemade

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 4 in (irregular)
Width: 4 in (irregular)

Inscriptions

Handwritten in ink on back: To Virginia Fredland. / From Edna Zyskowski
Child's Homemade Paper Valentine, circa 1920