Haste From My Lattice, Letter Fly! (valentine)
c. 1850
Medium
Lithograph with hand-coloring on embossed off-white wove paper
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 25.4 × 20.6 cm (10 × 8 1/8 in.)
Classification
valentine
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
75553
Art Historical Context
Step into the romantic world of Victorian courtship with *Haste From My Lattice Letter Fly!*, a valentine from around 1850. Created by an unknown artist, this lithograph with delicate hand-coloring on emb off-white wove paper the era's passion for sentimental exchanges. Measuring 10 × 8 1/8 inches when folded, it was designed as a portable love token, perfect for slipping into a pocket or mailing to a sweetheart. Lithography allowed for affordable mass production of such cards, while hand-coloring added a personal, artisanal touch, bringing vivid hues to hearts, flowers, or poetic verses. The...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...