Vintage Valentine, ca 1909-1912
Valentine’s Day is next Wednesday and so I thought I would share these two postcards with vintage reproductions from the early 1900s. I got these cards from Laughing Elephant, a small local shop that specializes in reproducing vintage cards, books, and illustrations. No artist is credited on either card. The card above is not dated but is similar to the second card, which is dated 1911.
Vintage Valentine, 1911
There was more than one Saint Valentine making it hard to say which one is the one for which Valentine’s Day is named. There are also several legends about a Saint Valentine and Valentine’s Day. One is called “The Golden Legend” and concerns a story about Valentine just before he was executed in the year 280 AD by the emperor Claudius of Rome for refusing to sacrifice to idols and converting many to Christianity. In the 18th century Henry Ansgar Kelly added a bit more that has since been incorporated into the story. A very short abbreviated version is that while Valentine was awaiting his fate at the hand of the emperor, his jailer, Asterius, came to him and challenged or asked Valentine to restore the sight of his blind daughter. Valentine prayed for the girl and she received her sight. As a result of this miracle the jailer’s entire family converted to Christianity. On the eve of his execution, Valentine wrote a letter to the girl and signed it “Your Valentine.” The expression “From Your Valentine” was later adopted on modern Valentine letters and cards.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
For additional information, see:
https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/valentine.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day
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