Constant Will I Ever Be (valentine)
1860/64
Medium
Collaged elements on cut and embossed (designed) ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 12.1 × 8.5 cm (4 13/16 × 3 3/8 in.)
Classification
collage
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
128957
Art Historical Context
"Constant Will I Ever Bevalentine)" by Thomas Wood, created between 1860 and 1864, is a delicate testament to Victorian-era romance. This intimate folded sheet, measuring just 12.1 × 8.5 cm, served as a handmade valentine—a popular courtship token in 19th-century America. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago Prints and Drawings department, exemplifies the era's sentimental art, blending heartfelt pledges of constancy with exquisite craftsmanship. Wood's innovative use of collaged elements on cut and embossed ivory wove paper creates a tactile, three-dimensional effect. Fine scissors work an...