Victorians Imaging Love

I'm a confessed Victorianophile -- yes, I love all things Victorian: the clothes, the books, the art, the royal families, the economic climate, the scientific advancements, the neuroses, the philosophers &c. Of course I'm also a print-fanatic (see my thesis proposal), and funnily enough, Valentine's Day gives me yet another opportunity to discuss Victorians and art/prints/visual culture. WOOOT!

The way we celebrate Valentine's Day, with Hallmark cards and lace and pink and hearts, pretty much began in the 1800s. Esther A. Howland was the first to mass produce fancy Valentines here in the states -- in 1850, she set up an assembly line of ladies all armed with lace, lithograph cupids, lines of verse and other necessary romantic addons. Meanwhile, the first machine-produced, and thus reproduced, Valentine was printed around the same time in the UK.

Here are some prints about Love just in time for a holiday that celebrates love. (I saved my favorite for last) So Right Click, Save As, Open, and Print these out for your sweetheart come February 14. Hey, it's a recession and those Hallmark cards are overpriced.