Ever the Same (valentine)
c. 1840
Medium
Collaged elements on embossed ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 10.1 × 6.7 cm (4 × 2 11/16 in.)
Classification
collage
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129045
Art Historical Context
"Ever the Same (valentine)" is a charming 19th-century collage created around 1840 by George Kers, a lesser-known artist whose work captures the sentimental spirit of Victorian romance. This petite folded sheet, measuring just 10.1 × 6.7 cm, was designed as a valentine—a popular token of affection exchanged on February 14th during an era when such cards blossomed in popularity amid the Industrial Revolution's rise of mass printing and personal expression. Crafted with collaged elements on embossed wove paper, the piece showcases innovative layering techniques unusual for valentines of the tim...
About the Artist
George Kershaw
George Kershaw is an artist whose works have been preserved in museum collections in meaningful quantity, pointing to a genuine career and a recognized body of output, even though the biographical details that would identify his nationality, training, and active period have not been established in the sources currently available. The absence of nationality information alongside the absence of date...