Valentine
ca. 1880
Medium
Cameo-embossed open-work gilded lace paper, chromolithography, die-cut scrap, colored paper
Dimensions
Width: 3 11/16 in. (9.3 cm) Length: 5 1/4 in. (13.4 cm)
Classification
Ephemera|Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Richard Riddell, 1981
Accession Number
1981.1136.659
Art Historical Context
Step into the sentimental world of Victorian romance with *Valentine*, an anonymous. 1880 greeting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department. Measuring a delicate 3 11/16 by 5 1/4 inches, this ephemera masterpiece captures the era's affection for elaborate, heartfelt missives exchanged on February 14th. Its intricate design likely features hearts, flowers, or lovers' motifs, folded or shaped for intimate delivery. Crafted from cameo-embossed open-work gilded lace paper—a technique mimicking fine lace with raised, pierced patterns and gold accents—this card blends ch...
About the Artist
Anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...