Valentine
1881
Medium
White card, chromolithography
Dimensions
Width: 2 15/16 in. (7.4 cm) Length: 3 9/16 in. (9.1 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
1981.1136.833
Tags
Art Historical Context
Kate Greenaway's *Valentine* (1881) is a charming example of Victorian ephemera, a delicately printed greeting card measuring just under 3 by 3½ inches. Produced on white card using chromolithography—a pioneering 19th-century technique that layered colored lithographic inks to mimic hand-painted watercolors—this petite print exemplifies Greenaway's signature style. Renowned for her illustrations in children's books like *Under the Window* (1879), she blended whimsy with Regency-inspired fashion, often featuring idealized children and women in soft pastels. During the Victorian era, Valentine'...
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...