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May our affections ripen into joy, And disappointments ne'er our hopes destroy
Unknown - Enlarge image
May our affections ripen into joy, And disappointments ne'er our hopes destroy
- Object:
Valentine
- Place of origin:
Great Britain, Uk (made)
- Date:
c.1860 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
hand-coloured wood engraving
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Guy Tristram Little
- Museum number:
E.2054-1953
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C, case GG, shelf 190
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.
