Will you be my Valentine?

 Happy Valentine's day!  For all of you romantics out there there is still time to get something special for your someone special.

We have a fantastic collection of original Edwardian and Victorian Valentines cards. Pop down to the shop to view our selection of nineteenth century Valentine cards, from the sentimental to the comic.

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. For more information on this history of the Valentine card visit this fantastic site by the University of Indiana.