Love is a Star (Valentine)
c. 1840
Medium
Collaged elements and watercolor on embossed ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 13.6 × 9.2 cm (5 3/8 × 3 5/8 in.)
Classification
collage
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129038
Art Historical Context
"Love is a Star (Valentine)" is a charming example of mid-19th-century romantic folk art, created around 1840 by an unknown artist. This delicate folded sheet, measuring just 13.6 × 9.2 cm, features collaged elements and watercolor on embossed ivory wove paper luxurious substrate that added a tactile, three-dimensional elegance to personal missives. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department and classified as a collage, it captures the heartfelt sentiment of Valentine's Day in an era when such cards were gaining popularity among the middle class. In the 1840s, Val...
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...