Can You See Me in Despair? (Valentine) c. 1840

This Valentine, entitled "Can You See Me in Despair?" was crafted by George Meek out of paper, watercolor and ink. The intricate lace border is the key to this object. Produced in a factory, by machine, it elevates what might otherwise be considered a homespun token into a more polished declaration of affection. The watercolor painting, by contrast, has a handmade quality; the artist seems to have had only moderate skill with the brush. These bleeding pigments and delicate lines of ink combine to give it a wistful quality. Taken together, the Valentine speaks to a peculiar tension of the industrial revolution. This was a period when love itself – or, at least, its material expression – could be mass produced, yet the desire for heartfelt, handmade sincerity endured. The sentiment "can you see me in despair," is thus embodied by the object itself, a poignant combination of factory production and human touch.