Constant to Thee (valentine)
1850/59
Medium
Collaged elements on cut and embossed (designed) ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 7.4 × 9.7 cm (2 15/16 × 3 7/8 in.)
Classification
collage
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
128965
Art Historical Context
"Constant to Thee (val)" is a delicate mid-19th-century love crafted by George Meek around 1850–1859. Folded to a petite 7.4 × 9.7 cm, this intimate collage exemplifies the sentimental valentines exchanged during the Victorian era, expressions of romance blossomed into an art form. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, it captures the era's fervor for heartfelt, handmade gestures amid growing commercialization of printed cards. Meek employed innovative collage techniques, layering cut and embossed elements onto ivory wove paper—a fine, smooth stock prized fo...