Valentine makers' scrapbook
mid-19th century
Medium
Cut paper with ink, watercolor, chromolithographs, and gilt scraps
Dimensions
11 13/16 × 9 13/16 in. (30 × 25 cm)
Classification
Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Richard Riddell, 1984
Accession Number
1984.1164.1825
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of Victorian romance with the *Valentine Makers' Scrapbook*, an British creation from the mid-19th century This charming ephemera, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints, measures a compact 11 13/16 × 9 13/16 inches and served as a personal toolkit for crafting heartfelt Valentine's Day greetings. During the Victorian era, sending elaborately decorated valentines became a beloved custom, blending sentimentality with creativity amid the rise of mass-produced imagery. Crafted from cut paper adorned with ink, watercolor, vibrant chromolithog...