Show nothing sedate about valentines of today sedate stanzas whispering guardedly of love characterized the early american valentines as shown in a collection made by the chicago historical society changing times produced more direct expression andl in 1930 the collection reveals the valentine verse makers leave no doubt of the senders genders amorous sentiments the earliest valentine shown Is dated 1800 but all before 1850 were handmade affairs generally a red heart with a pretty but proper inscription miss esther estber howland began malting making valentines commercially in 1851 the society points out and it Is from that time on that the lacy heart embossed creations date many of miss bliss how lands valentines were simply inscribed bed to one I 1 love comic valentines appear to have enjoyed a perpetual vogue throughout the years the society sho shoeing NNIng many which it describes as ridiculous witty and severe one of the valentines of the world war period has a picture by john T mccutcheom McCu cartoonist with verse by george ade the picture shows a mother who has apparently censored her daughters mall mail to a soldier abroad beneath Is printed mr soldier man ilan I 1 mannot send bend what my daughter wrote it might not fire to the darned old boat |