Valentine
ca. 1880
Medium
Cameo-embossed paper, chromolithography
Dimensions
Width: 2 3/8 in. (6.1 cm) Length: 4 7/16 in. (11.2 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
1981.1136.665
Art Historical Context
Step into the sentimental world of Victorian romance with *Valentine*, an anonymous from around 1880, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints department. Measuring just 2 3/8 by 4 7/16 inches, this petite ephemera piece was likely a cherished greeting card exchanged on February 14th, capturing the era's affection for elaborate expressions of love amid the industrial boom. Crafted with cameo-embossed paper andolithography, the artwork showcases innovative 19th-century printing techniques. Chromolithography allowed for vibrant, multi-layered colors through successive sto...
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...