Happy Valentine’s Day!
Marcia Strykowski
♦ February 14, 2016
♦ 35 Comments
Don’t you just love looking at Valentine’s Day cards from the olden days? Here are a few fancy ones from 1876.
These two lacy valentines were also popular styles from the late 1800s.
As shown in the photograph, I used to love choosing just the right valentine for each of my classmates. We’d decorate shoe box size mailboxes with a slot in the top. My favorite skirt from about that time was made special just for Valentine’s Day. It was full and bubble-gum pink. I think it was felt, or a similar type fabric, covered with hearts of a deeper shade of pink, a gift from my talented aunt.
Below are a couple of my past Valentine’s Day posts. I hope you have a wonderful day for yourself and please feel free to click on these two pictures to read about library book displays, vintage valentines, and crafts.
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Marcia Strykowski 
What a great idea – the Blind Date! – at your library. Thanks for this Valentine!
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Happy Valentine’s Day, Pierr!
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I used to spend hours deciding which valentine´s day card was best for each student in my class. I think I had a skirt like that too! Have a fabulous Valentine´s Day.
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Yep, it was quite a business sorting out the prettiest cards for the nicest girls, making sure the most casual, plain card went to the class troublemaker. And then all the ones in the middle: who liked cats? who was athletic or musical? Luckily the packages usually included a teacher card to make that choice easy. Enjoy your day, Darlene!
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Love the idea of blind date books! 🙂
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It was a fun project and well received at the library–lots of wrapping though!
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So creative! I love the vintage valentines 🙂
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I like vintage valentines, too, always fun and bright.
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I love this post, Marcia 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing.
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I’m happy you enjoyed the post, Lynne!
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I love vintage valentines too and used to enjoy writing out cards for my classmates. Back then, we weren’t required to give everyone in our class Valentines. I always felt sorry for the classmates who only got a few. Happy Heart Day!
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A little girl came into the library the other day and said she had been writing out her valentines. Her mother said the teacher told them they could pass them out if they wanted to, but it wasn’t required. I wonder if those who participated were also told they had to include everyone, or how that worked. Hopefully everyone went home happy. Enjoy!
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I remember Valentines Day was so much fun in school. Those are some pretty cards you found.
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Hope you’re having a nice Valentine’s Day! ❤
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Thank you, hope you had a wonderful ❤ day!
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What a sweet post! The vintage cards are beautiful and I love the library display and blind date sign! I hope you had a love-filled Valentine’s Day!
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Thanks, Iza!
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Lovely, lovely post.
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Thank you, Sharon!
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I love the vintage valentines you found. Just beautiful. I wondered from their clothing if the cards were Dutch? I used to love to make homemade valentines with the lace dollies and the cut out hearts. I still love Valentine’s day to this day and send out many valentines to the shut ins from our church and to the elderly. Such a cute picture of you writing out your valentines and now you are sending valentines through your blog post to the people at large!. Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
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The 1876 card illustrations were by Walter Crane and Kate Greenaway, both of England. Some of the outfits do have a Dutch look, though. Hope you had a fun Valentine’s Day, as well!
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Hi Marcia, I was sure I left a comment on this post. I know I shared it so perhaps I forgot to comment! Years ago, mum and I used to visit an elderly lady in the village where we lived, her prized possession was a lacy valentine card – she loved that card but would never say who gave it to her. She was unmarried and had no family, and I’ve often wondered what happened to the card – I expect it ended up in an action somewhere. Happy Belated Valentines Day. The picture of you is adorable.
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What a great Valentine’s Day story, so many possibilities of how she received her special card. I guess it shows again how small acts of kindness can mean so much to someone, enough to last a lifetime. Thanks for sharing, Barbara!
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I would love to know! Perhaps you could write the story? I wish I had the necessary skill, but it is beyond me.
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Oh, I’m sure you could give it a go. 🙂 It WOULD be a good stepping-off point to an interesting story!
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These cards are just so pretty I say they would make anyone’s day. And I agree with Barbara: that picture of you is adorable, Marcia! Blind book-dates is a clever idea. Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!
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Thanks, Claudine. Hope you had a lovely day, as well!
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Those valentine cards are beautiful and I love the picture of you with all your classmate’s envelopes spread out, a regular business you were running, very cute!!
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Yes, big business going on. 🙂 Thank you for popping in, Ashley!
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Beautiful pastels, such works of fine art and gentle modesty…your posts are visual feasts Marcia!
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Yes, the illustrations are beautiful. Thanks so much for your kind words!
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Another fun post Marcia– we still exchange valentines in my classroom at school and the kids get super excited– it’s pretty much the craziest day of the school year. Hope you had a lovely valentines day– We had a romantic (??) date to walk for frozen yogurt. I guess we don’t make a big fuss . thanks for all your beautiful original posts! xo
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Thanks for your kind words, Rhonda. Your class is lucky to have you, you must be a fun teacher. Valentine’s Day stays low-key in this house, too. 🙂
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Fun to hear from you Marcia– thanks.
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