Valentine
1850–70
Medium
Cameo-embossed open-work lace paper, chromolithography, colored paper, ink
Dimensions
Width: 4 13/16 in. (12.2 cm) Length: 3 5/16 in. (8.4 cm)
Classification
Ephemera|Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Richard Riddell, 1981
Accession Number
1981.1136.601
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings Prints collection, this charming "Valentine" from 1850–70 exemplifies the delicate ephemera of Victorian-era romance. Created anonymously, the small card—measuring just 4 /16 by 3 5/16—fits easily in a pocket or locket, designed for intimate exchange during courtship rituals. Its intricate medium combines cameo-embossed open-work lace paper,oking the fragility of fine lacework, with vibrant chromolithography, colored, and ink for pops of hue and heartfelt messages. Chromolithography, groundbreaking color printing technique of the mid-19th c...
About the Artist
Anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...