"In the late 19th century, few things telegraphed yearning like a card adorned with paper lace, gold foil and a couple exchanging a coy glance. Today, such a card would evoke an eye roll. The evolution of cards from the treacly confections of Victorian England to the quippy missives of today reflect both shifting design aesthetics and broader cultural customs around romance."
"Historians struggle to trace the exact origins of Valentine's Day some pinpoint the holiday to a curiously unromantic Pagan festival in Rome that involved goat slaughter and nudity but they tend to agree that its association with romance was most likely established in England. Early Valentine's Day celebrations, dating as far back as the 17th century, were only loosely associated with love and often revolved around a lottery."
Valentine's Day cards have shifted from ornate, sentimental Victorian designs to casual, humorous messages that mirror changing aesthetics and expanding social notions of love. Greeting cards function as societal reflections and have become less formal, precious and prescribed as conceptions of love broaden. The holiday's origins are difficult to trace; some link it to a Pagan Roman festival, but its romantic association likely emerged in England. Early celebrations in the 17th century featured lotteries in which names were drawn and pinned, matched pairs exchanged gifts, danced, and wrote riddles or poems. Late 18th- and early 19th-century social changes promoted marrying for love.
Read at www.nytimes.com
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