Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day, Vintage Style

Antique Valentine's Day cards in my collection range from simple postcards to multi-layered, multi-page items. They feature paper lace and tissue paper in some cases. Some of them appear handmade, perhaps from even older cards that were around the house. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 cards, though I only found a small envelope of about fifty of them today. The rest are "layered" among the rest of the vintage items around my apartment, lol. The cards posted today date from the late 1800s to about 1915.

This one seems to have a heart-shaped piece cut out from it at the top left. Used on a different homemade card perhaps?


BTW:
The interior verses of these cards is much more sophisticated than the "Be My Valentine" that I remember sending to my classmates as a child. And, yes, most of these vintage cards were sent to children, from other children, as [I think] they still do today. Somehow I feel today's video game addicted youngsters would have no idea whatsoever what these cards' sentiments say, lol. The one illustrated is dated 1896, and was sent to my mother's then ten-year old Uncle Art by a neighbor named Raymond Gay, and states:

Earth's vast expanse doth hold for me,
One only hope—a dream of thee:
Naught that exists hath power to tear
From my fond heart thine image there:
For ever true to thee alone,
For good or ill I'm all thine own.

7 comments:

  1. Oh gosh, I love all of these, especially the kitties! I remember the cards we exchanged in grammar school said things like "Be Mine" and so forth, not beautiful poetry like the one you quote. That's really lovely! And you're right -- to kids today that poem might as well be in a foreign language!

    Happy Valentine's Day to all who visit here and to our host!

    Paul, NYC

    the word verification is "explet" -- short for expletive?

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  2. Those are really wonderful Casey. Yes, there are so many things from the past that hold such great value, it is a shame it will be missed by today youth's. I love the sentiments written in vintage autographs books, they would often quote beautiful poetry, so much nicer than just "have a swell summer"...

    To Paul, Casey, Granny, AP, Woody, Katie, Mare, ish and yes X too....Happy Valentine's Day and to those I may have missed my wishes to you too.

    xxxooo

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  3. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
    2011 HOME MADE VALENTINE TO ALL THE BB'S HERE ON CASEYS' BLOG. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR LIVER AND ONIONS.LOL

    GRANNY

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  4. Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I agree Paul, I LOVE the kitties, so cute.
    Sending love and hugs to all of you.
    mare

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  5. Oooh I'm a day late. Back atcha everybody!

    I'm agreeing that the one with the kitties is...the cat's meow. I'm snagging that one.

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  6. Love these vintage cards and the eloquent poems! So much better than "be mine"! Hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day.

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