Valentine 1876

This small, delicate Valentine card was made by Kate Greenaway, a popular English artist and illustrator during the late 19th century. During this time, the commercial card industry blossomed in Victorian England, coinciding with evolving social customs around courtship and affection. Greenaway's images often presented an idealized vision of childhood and rural life. Here we see a young boy seated with his head bowed in what might be shyness, as a girl presents a bouquet. They are surrounded by a profusion of flowers which suggests innocence and purity. Yet, while these images appear sentimental they are also highly constructed. These cards reflect the Victorian emphasis on sentimentality, but also reveal the complex social and gender expectations of the era. The passivity of the male figure and the girl’s offering of flowers subtly hint at the prescribed roles within relationships. These Valentine images evoke a sense of nostalgia, but they also offer a window into the social dynamics of the past.