Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case GG, Shelf 190

I wander'd by the green wood side

Valentine
c.1830s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

With the advent of the Penny Post the valentine card business flourished. In the 1840s it was possible to buy expensive cut-lace and embossed cards, or cheaper folded sheets with simple wood engraved imagery, often roughly coloured with stencils. Amongst the cheaper cards, comic valentines were particularly popular, often echoing the cruel satirical humour of the Cruikshank brothers who had produced some of the earliest comic valentines in the 1820s. Generally the wood engravers remain anonymous but the cards provided much work both in London and other large towns.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleI wander'd by the green wood side (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Wood-engraving with stencil colouring, letterpress.
Brief description
Valentine. 'I wander'd by the green-wood side'; c.1830s; printed and published by J. Wrigley, Manchester.
Physical description
Valentine. A reclining woman surrounded by flowers under a tree is addressed by a man with his top hat in his hand. Four lines of verse above and below.
Gallery label
ANONYMOUS Valentines: Squall away... 1840-50 Published by A. Park, London Wood engraving and letterpress, coloured by hand E.1635-1948 Given by C. Tomrley I wander'd by the green-wood side 1830 Printed and published by J. Wrigley, Manchester Wood engraving with stencil colouring, decorative border and letterpess E.2072-1953 Bequest of Guy Tristram Little May our affections ripen into joy... 1860 Wood engraving, coloured by hand E.2054-1953 Bequest of Guy Tristram Little With the advent of the Penny Post the valentine card business flourished. In the 1840s it was possible to buy expensive cut-lace and embossed cards, or cheaper folded sheets with simple wood engraved imagery, often roughly coloured with stencils. Amongst the cheaper cards, comic valentines were particularly popular, often echoing the cruel satirical humour of the Cruikshank brothers who had produced some of the earliest comic valentines in the 1820s. Generally the wood engravers remain anonymous but the cards provided much work both in London and other large towns.
Credit line
Bequeathed by Guy Tristram Little
Summary
With the advent of the Penny Post the valentine card business flourished. In the 1840s it was possible to buy expensive cut-lace and embossed cards, or cheaper folded sheets with simple wood engraved imagery, often roughly coloured with stencils. Amongst the cheaper cards, comic valentines were particularly popular, often echoing the cruel satirical humour of the Cruikshank brothers who had produced some of the earliest comic valentines in the 1820s. Generally the wood engravers remain anonymous but the cards provided much work both in London and other large towns.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1953 London: HMSO, 1963
Collection
Accession number
E.2072-1953

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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