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Welcome to Animated CyberKisses |
History of Valentines cards
The Valentine's Day Card Valentine: noun A sentimental or humorous greeting card to
a sweetheart, friend, or family member on Saint Valentine's Day.
A gift sent as a token of love to one's sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day.
A person singled out especially as one's sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day.
Verses and Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle
Ages, when
lovers said or sang their valentines. Written valentines began to appear after 1400.
The oldest "valentine" in existence was made in the 1400's and is in the British Museum.
Paper valentines were exchanged in Europe where they were given in place of valentine gifts.
Paper valentines were especially popular in England. Early valentines were made by
hand and were made with colored paper, watercolors, and colored inks.
There were many different types of handmade Valentines, including:
Acrostic valentines - had verses in which the first lines spelled out the loved one's name.
Cutout valentines - made by folding the paper several times and then cutting
out a lacelike design with small, sharp, pointed scissors.
Pinprick valentines - made by pricking tiny holes in a paper with a pin or
needle
creating the look of lace
Theorem or Poonah valentines - valentines had designs that were painted through a
stencil cut in oil paper, a style that originated from the Orient. A coat of
gum Arabic kept the
paint from running.
Rebus valentines - verses in which tiny
pictures take the place of some of the words.
(an eye would take the place of the word I a heart shape for the word heart.
)
Puzzle Purse valentines - were a puzzle to read and to refold. Scattered
among their
many folds were verses that had to be read in a certain order. Acrostic valentines had verses
in which the first letter of the lines spelled out the loved one's name.
Fraktur valentines - had ornamental lettering in the style of illuminated manuscripts
of the Middle Ages.
Love Knot valentines
- were made of ribbon or drawn on paper and consisted of graceful
loops
sometimes in the shape of hearts. On the loops were written messages that read by turning the knot about.
The Love Knot says, "The knot of love which has no end to let you know my
love is true
and that to none alive but vow. So be my wife and live with me as long as life shall granted
be and I shall ever faithful prove of thee alone my only love sweetest of creatures to thee I send."
In the early 1800's, valentines began to be assembled in factories.
Early manufactured valentines
were black and white pictures that were painted by workers in a
factory. Fancy valentines were
made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid 1800's.
By the end of the
1800's valentines were being made entirely by machine.
In the early 1900's a card company named Norcross began to
manufacture valentines.
Each year Hallmark displays its collection of rare and antique valentines at card shops
around the country. Museums and Libraries also offer antique valentine exhibitions
around St. Valentine's Day
A lighthearted holiday, Valentine's Day is a time when people express feelings of
friendship, affection and love.
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