Valentine
1876
Medium
White card stock with gilding; white card with embossed border; chromolithography, gold lithography, ink
Dimensions
Interior card: Width: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm) Length: 3 1/8 in. (8 cm) Exterior card: 14 cm. x 18.2 cm
Classification
Ephemera|Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Richard Riddell, 1981
Accession Number
1981.1136.807
Tags
Art Historical Context
Kate Greenaway's *Valentine* (1876) is a charming example of Victorian-era ephemera, designed as a delicate greeting card to celebrate love on Valentine's Day. Measuring just 2⅛ x 3⅛ inches when folded inside its larger 14 x 18.2 cm envelope, this petite treasure features embossed borders, gilded accents, and tender illustrations of boys, girls, and doves—symbols of innocence and affection. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it reflects Greenaway's signature style: whimsical children in Regency-inspired costumes, evoking a nostalgic, pastoral idyll. In ...
About the Artist
Kate Greenaway · 1846–1901
Kate Greenaway (1846–1901) was a British artist and writer who became one of the most beloved children's book illustrators of the Victorian era and a significant influence on children's fashion and popular culture. Born Catherine Greenaway in Hoxton, London, she studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Royal Female School of Art, and began her career designing greeting cards and magazine il...