Sunday, February 14, 2010

The History of Valentine Greetings

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. In the early 1800's, Valentines began to be assembled in factories. Early manufactured Valentines were black and white pictures 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. With the exception of Christmas, Americans exchange more cards on Valentine's Day than any other time of year.

7 comments:

  1. Yeah, it was interesting to find out about about the history.

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  2. Love that historical stuff. You rock. Your jewelry is just beautiful!

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  3. Thanks Merry's Musings! What a lovely compliment.

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  4. Nice post on the history of valentine cards. Amazing how something so simple turned into such a big enterprise.

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  5. what an interesting post!

    I found your blog through the Etsy forums and just wanted to say hi and that your blog is lovely! Have a beautiful weekend!

    xo, Katie
    http://www.kateandoli.blogspot.com

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  6. Thanks to all of you for leaving your comments! We love hearing from you and making new friends.

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