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May our affections ripen into joy, And disappointments ne'er our hopes destroy

Valentine
c.1860 (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
TitleMay our affections ripen into joy, And disappointments ne'er our hopes destroy (published title)
Materials and techniques
hand-coloured wood engraving
Brief description
Valentine by unknown artist; 'May our affections ripen into joy...'; c.1860; wood engraving, coloured by hand
Physical description
Valentine, showing a man and a woman in an embrace, the man in a cutaway coat with waistcoat and long trousers, long sideburns and curled hair, the woman in a pink satin dress with flared sleeves.
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.2054-1953

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
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