Handmade Valentine's Day Cards and the 'Mother of the American Valentine'

@ Laura Farrell Photography, 2023

Once again Saint Valentine’s Day is upon us.. I don’t know about you but if I’m celebrating the occasion I like to make a valentine card for my sweetie and/or loved ones. Over the years I’ve done the full range of options - some years I’ve skipped over Valentine’s Day, other years I’ve bought fancy, cupid-themed cards from stationery boutiques such as Papyrus here in the States. My favorite of all - provided I have the time & inclination - is to make a personal valentine card for mon amour.

Speaking of stationery stores, it was Esther Howland (American, 1828–1904), daughter of a stationer in Massachusetts, who popularized Valentine’s Day cards beginning in the 1850s. Esther considered herself an artist and made elaborate cards with lace and specialty papers imported from England. Her cards were soon wildly popular. Ms Howland came to be known as the mother of the American valentine. Her entrepreneurial efforts led to her business, the New England Valentine Company, earning handsome profits and she grew to employ other women in a sort of high-end craft assembly line to keep up with demand.

Cloth and lace valentine card made by Esther Howland, circa 1870s.

Knowing the history of the “mother of the American valentine” is special in that Howland’s initial cards were very much a handmade, decorated effort.. what we now might call a “passion project”.
That said, a valentine can be a simple note with a sentence or two. This year I made my husband a Valentine’s Day postcard with a simple heart in red pencil on the front. I think most of us would agree that something hand crafted will be treasured among our most meaningful keepsakes.

Happy Cupid’s Day (and happy creating if you make your own valentine card!) ~

Laura

Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ & floating fairy dust for ambiance ~ @ Laura Farrell Photography, 2023