Oh Say Fair One Thou Will be Mine (valentine)
c. 1840
Medium
Lithograph with hand-coloring on cut and embossed ivory wove paper (lace)
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 14.3 × 9.6 cm (5 11/16 × 3 13/16 in.)
Classification
valentine
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
75868
Art Historical Context
Created around 1840, “Oh Say Fair One Thou Will be Mine” is a charming example of an early Victorian valentine. Artist George Meek produced this delicate card using lithography, a relatively new printing at the time that allowed sentiments to reach a wider audience. The small folded sheet, measuring just over five by three inches, was then hand-colored and elaborately cut and embossed to resemble fine lace, giving it both visual richness and tactile appeal. Such lace-paper valentines marked a shift from entirely handmade tokens to commercially produced yet still intimate objects. The intricat...