Figure 8. Rare stand-up chromolithographed valentine (unmarked), man in historical dress showing the romantic nostalgia for the 18th century, early 1900s.

The earliest forms of valentines appeared in the 1780s and included acrostics, labyrinth designs and love knots fashioned in quilt-like patterns. Since woodcut and steel engravings were too costly in the 18th century for valentines, it was more fashionable to create handmade tokens of affection. These included paper cuttings, pen work and pin-prick designs or beautifully hand-painted valentines. These hand-fashioned greeting cards were made by individuals and manufactured by the earliest valentine innovators. The latter included Joseph Addenbrooke, who reputedly created paper lace in 1796 which was used so prolifically on 19th century valentines, Aloys Senefelder, who invented the lithographic process in 1798, and the inimitable pioneer early valentine maker, Dobbs & Company of London which began making valentines in 1803. John Windsor & Sons also created beautiful paper embossing and valentines from the 1820s to the 1850s. De La Rue and Company of London established themselves as makers, embossers and stationers in London in 1831. Other notable British and American valentine makers at this time included Robert EIton, Abraham Fisher of New York, Joseph Mansell of London and Turner & Fisher of Philadelphia. During the 1800s to 1830s these masters created stunning valentines with delicate qualities and definitive features.
As the young Queen Victoria ascended to the throne, it was natural that there would be changes in taste and manners. Valentines were no exception as they reflected the romantic spirit of the times. New makers of the 1840s included Dobbs, Bailey & Company, Howland, Keffer, Brett, Kershaw, King, McLoughlin Brothers, Meek, Moody, Mossman, Mullord Brothers, Nister, Burke, Dean & Company, Strong, Windsor and Wood (figure 3). The valentines made by these publishers, embossers and lace paper makers are prized by today's collectors.
Whether hand made, engraved or fashioned from lace paper, the early Victorian valentine was breathtaking. The addition of applied scraps, objects and verses could be accompanied by a combination of flowers, velvet, down, shells, leaves, feathers, ferns or metal mirror discs. Design tended towards the sentimental and focused around weddings, lovers waiting at the church, flowers, couples in romantic gardens and birds. Delicate and carefully placed sentiments, rebuses or puzzle purses. Theorem or Poonah (Indian stencil painting technique) watercolour painted floral valentines stood alongside engraved masterpieces (figure 2)including valentines that mocked British and American currency.
The 'Bank of True Love' and 'Hyman's Temple' notes caused a stir as they resembled legal banknotes of the day. Another important innovation was the printed envelope that appeared in Britain after the introduction of the penny post.
Changes in valentine artistry took place in the mid-Victorian period. During the 1850s new British and American makers included Dobbs, Kidd & Co, Magnus, Prang, Rock and Whitney. Gold-painted features, chromo-lithographed scraps, fancy cameo embossed paper lace (figure 3), embossed paper, silver lace, and gilding made the cards sparkle and stand out. By the 1860s, new makers included Goodall, Goode, Howland, Magnus, Rimmel with his perfumed sachet valentines, Stevens with his woven silks, Tuck, Ward and Whitney. Applied trims such as silk velvet ribbon (figure 5), chromo-lithographed scraps, paper lace and the paper spring hinge made the valentine stand out in three-dimensional fashion when it was constructed from multiple layers. American maker Whitney used the beautiful paper created by Meek and Mullord to fashion his own valentine designs.