Esther Howland Valentine | New England Valentine Company | 1870sEsther Howland is known as the mother of the valentine industry in America. While valentines existed before, she was the first entrepreneur to popularize them in this country. A Massachusetts native from a Mayflower family, she was inspired to make valentines after receiving a particularly beautiful one in 1847 from one of her fathers associates. At the time, most valentines were imported from England and Europe and were more expensive than the

Arthur was a Victorian author and member of the temperance movement best known for his book Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There

hand-colored prints

it really makes her pop

Presented as found in a gold toned antique frame

consolidated from Tennyson’s Idylls of the King and Mallory’s La Morte d’Arthur with black & white illustrations by Walter Enright

or as attractive catch-alls for your vanity or desk

all components made of wood

Frame is quite heavy and fitted to sit table top

die-cut memorials are my favorite kinds of Victorian mourning pieces to collect

before he joined Currier & Ives

the gentleman is complaining that his extremely slim-cut jacket is too voluminous

Condition is good overall with a few dings and a slightly flecked mirror