Sweet nostalgia surrounds the exchange of valentine greetings. When February 14th rolls around, excited school children throughout the nation exchange colorful valentine cards in classrooms and through the mail And, every sweetheart marks that special, February date to ensure a personal, valentine wish is sent to a special someone.
So, it’s with heartfelt pride that Massachusetts’ Mount Holyoke College notes the American tradition of sending valentines originated with a young graduate of Mount Holyoke, an institution that ranks #29 on the 2012 National Liberal Arts College List of US News and World Report.
Mother of today’s valentine card tradition is a Mount Holyoke alum
Esther Howland (1828-1904), a native of Worcester, Massachusetts and a Mount Holyoke alumna, is credited with having established the commercial valentine industry in the United States. Howland, who graduated from what was then the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1847, was inspired by an ornate English valentine sent to her by a family friend to create her own elaborate renditions of the greeting card.
With a little help from her family and friends
According to the American Antiquarian Society, Howland was fascinated with the idea of making similar valentines, and she arranged with her father -- who owned the largest book and stationery store in Worcester -- to have paper lace, floral decorations, and other materials sent to her from England.
When Esther Howland began taking orders for her creations, she quickly found she needed to recruit friends to help her keep up with the demand. She began to advertise in a Worcester paper in early 1850, and she eventually turned the assembly line operation that began in her home into a thriving business grossing $100,000 annually. She retired in 1881 and sold her business to the George C. Whitney Company.
Mount Holyoke valentine collection
The Mount Holyoke Archives and Special Collections holds an impressive collection of historic valentines -- many of which were created by Esther Howland. Donated by card collector Marjorie Eames in 1993, the Mount Holyoke valentine collection spans the 1840s to the 1980s and contains several original valentines made by Howland's New England Valentine Co. in the 1870s, as well as some by George C. Whitney. These cards display the stylistic shifts within the valentine industry as it endured paper shortages, postcard crazes, and a growing nostalgia for the Victorian-style cards that characterized the golden age of valentine production in both Western Europe and the United States.
An online view
Digital images of early valentines as well as a video of vintage valentines is made available online by The Mount Holyoke Archives and Special Collections.
To visit the valentine holiday exhibit
Each year around the valentine season, the Mount Holyoke Archives and Special Collections at 8 Dwight Hall on 50 College Street, South Hadley, Massachusetts, displays selected valentines from the collection in honor of Esther Howland. The special exhibit is open to the public on the lower level.
Directions and a Mount Holyoke campus map are available online. To learn more about further accessing the Mount Holyoke Archives and Special Collections for research purposes, telephone 413 538 3079 or contact the department utilizing an online form.
Valentine tradition
When February 14th rolls around this year, whether you send a classic valentine with cherubs and lace or a modern valentine, simple and unadorned, you’ll be following a tradition, well over 100 years old, that was begun by Mount Holyoke graduate, Esther Howland. The romantic appeal of “Be My Valentine” has become a heartfelt request of love that echoes through the years.
Find the take in this article to be helpful? Click the free, “subscribe to get instant updates” link at the top of this article to get a conveniently customized news delivery.
Comments