History of the Valentine's Day Card
History of the Valentine's Day Card
Today, Valentine's Day is known as the day you shower your beloved with gifts and flowers and chocolates. But this wasn't always the case. In the mid to late 1800s when exchanging Valentine's cards was just becoming a regular practice, it was all about the card! In fact, it wasn't until the 1700s in England that people began sending flowers along with the card, which was to be sent anonymously and signed, "from your Valentine". However, there are several examples of early valentines cards, letters, and poems throughout history, going back as far as the Middle Ages, with written greetings not being seen until the 1400s.
The first commercially printed Valentine's Day cards weren't introduced until 1913 a young man's company, later to be known as Hallmark, produced the first ones. Before this time, many people chose to make their own Valentine's Day greeting cards, using ribbons, lace, mirrors, flowers, and seashells. Improvements in printing technology, as well as the origination of the first post office, made sending valentines easier, but also definitely less personal. But how did the tradition of exchanging valentines even get started? Keep reading below to find out.
Saint Valentine
According to legend, the very first Valentine greeting may very well have been sent by Saint Valentine himself while he was imprisoned in the 3rd century. He had fallen in love with a young girl who had been visiting him at the jail. Some accounts of this story claim that the young girl was actually the daughter of his jailor! Allegedly, he signed the letter, "from your valentine". He was later beheaded by Emperor Claudius II and died a martyr.
Esther Howland "Mother of the Valentine"
Esther A. Howland is considered to be the "Mother of the Valentine". She saw how expensive it could be to have the ornate and elaborately decorated cards imported from Europe and decided to do something about it. She started her company, the New England Card Company, that same year and began having paper and lace and other notions imported from England so that she could make her own cards. She was surprised to have over $5000 worth of orders her first time around because she had only expected to sell $200-$300 worth that first year. Esther Howland is credited with creating and selling the first mass-produced Valentine's cards in the country in 1840.
That same year, the Great Britain introduced the uniform penny tax, which allowed Valentine's Day cards to be sent for just a penny. Rowland Hill was the man who first organized the postal delivery services as well as the creator of the first postage stamp. By 1841, over 400,000 Valentine's had been delivered by Rowland's postmen. The high number of Valentines that had to be delivered in the 2-3 days before February 14 made it so that the postmen had to be given extra refreshments allowances to help them get through the chaotic holiday crunch. By 1871, the number of Valentine's to be processed by the General Post Office in London had grown to 1.2 million!
Howland had solved the problem of importing expensive holiday greeting cards and at just 19 years old, she had started her own business, The New England Valentine Company. In 1880, she sold the business to George Whitney. Victorians had been enamored with Howland's Valentine's cards so much so that the New York Times reported in 1867 that the post office had accepted 21,260 Valentine's for delivery. In 1864, those numbers had dropped to just 15,924, but the following year, in 1865, New Yorkers would mail more than 66,000 Valentines and more than 86,000 the year after that.
Hallmark Greeting Cards est. 1910
Esther was the first to mass-produce holiday greeting cards, but she certainly would not be the last. A very well-known company was about to emerge with its 18 year old entrepreneur, Joyce Clyde Hall. In Nebraska, 1910, Hall Brothers, later to be known as Hallmark, opened his business to the public, and started off selling postcards. Unfortunately, just one year later, Joyce's business lost everything when in 1911, there was a fire. Joyce wasn't discouraged however and used this as an opportunity to shift the focus of his company. In 1913, he began selling holiday greeting cards, which quickly became his best sellers. In 1954, Hall Brothers changed their name to Hallmark.
Contemporary Valentine's Day
Today, more than 150 million Valentine's Day cards are sold each year, making it the best selling holiday card, second only to Christmas. In addition to the 150 million cards being sold each year, 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and more than 50 million roses are sold each year in the United States for Valentine's Day. The card has lost a bit of its clout as they say, with more and more partners expecting these other types as well. That doesn't mean the card is no longer needed. In fact, the card is so important to some women, they make up 85% of Valentine's Day card purchases.
Valentine's Cards Through The Years
Victorian Era/Late 1800s
1900s-1910s
1920s
1930s-1940s
1950s-1960s
1970s
1980s-2000s
Well there ya have it. That's how Valentine's Day cards came to be. I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day! And don't forget to take advantage of our Valentine's Day Sale at TheVintageVixenShop. All month long, all vases, planters, jewelry, trinkets boxes, and cards are 30% off! No minimum purchase amount and as always free US shipping is included with every order. Don't forget to tell someone how much you love them today. 💗
Until next time, Happy Hunting! And-- 💘 Happy Valentine's Day!💘
If you want more information on Esther Howland, or want to see more of her work, I found this site quite helpful.
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