| Victorian Pop-up Valentine Cards! |
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Valentine's Day is a holiday with a long history. Though it bears a saint's name, its origins seem more firmly rooted in pagan celebrations of the beginning of spring than in the history of its martyred namesakes. Valentine's Day traditions are wide-ranging, but have long involved the exchange of some love token or small gift with one's valentine. In 18th century England and North America, these exchanges often took the form of hand-made valentine cards. By the 19th century, these traditions expanded. Home-made cards were widely replaced by commercially produced valentine cards, and the cards were sent not only to one special valentine, but often to a wider circle of friends and relations.
Pictorial "pop-up" Valentines are a trend in later Victorian greeting cards. Some are simple cards, not much more complicated than earlier examples using paper springs to create a 3-dimensional effect. More substantial cards create a real sense of depth when opened.
Though Valentine cards remained consistently popular in the United States, their popularity sagged in England by the 1880's. Only after World War II was the tradition revived.
Valentine's Day was not always the Hallmark holiday it is today. Before the introduction of the manufactured greeting card, Victorians enjoyed crafting their own romantic greetings to send out in honor of St. Valentine.
The cards of today are a far cry from the elaborate paper beauties of the Victorian era. Adorned with lace, beads, satin, feathers, and bits of fabric, Victorian Valentine cards were small works of art.
Victorians are known for their elaborate Valentine cards. They loved decorating their messages with romantic poetry and images of hearts, birds, and flowers. In later years, pictures of children, cupids, and women became popular decorations. The 1870s brought about the pop-up Valentine. Young admirers spent hours handcrafting these lavish creations. Victorians sent cards to lovers and friends alike.
The tradition of exchanging Valentine cards has a long history. Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent the first Valentine card to his wife in 1415 while imprisoned in the Tower of London. But the custom of sending romantic messages dates as far back as ancient Rome. During the month of February, young men gave the object of their affection handwritten messages signed "From Your Valentine" to honor the holiday's patron saint. In the United Kingdom during the 1840s, the custom took off with the establishment of a uniform postal rate.
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