What Can I Say or Send to Prove (valentine)
c. 1840
Medium
Lithograph with hand-coloring on embossed off-white wove paper
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 25.7 × 20.5 cm (10 1/8 × 8 1/8 in.)
Classification
valentine
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
75567
Art Historical Context
Step into the romantic world of 1840s America with *What Can I Say or to Prove (valentine)*, a charming lithograph created around that time by an unknown artist. Folded to a compact 25.7 × 20.5 cm, this embossed off-white wove card captures the era's burgeoning valentine tradition, when mass-produced sentiments blossomed amid Victorian courtship customs. Held in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, it reflects how everyday people expressed love through affordable, heartfelt tokens exchanged on February 14th. The artwork's medium—lithography printed with delicate hand...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...