Vintage Valentine: A Brief History

It is once again the run up to that special day when we shower our loved ones with gifts and trinkets and tell our close friends how much we treasure them so in honour of St Valentines Day I've decided to do a three part Vintage Valentines special.
Part one is the History of Valentines Day.


There is an awful lot of mystery surrounding saint Valentine and the history of Valentine's Day.
February has for so long now been celebrated  by people around the world as the month of romance, and St. Valentine's Day, as people know it today, has elements of  Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this special day?
 There are so many tales that tell how Valentines Day started, here are just a few of them.
"Three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14, Valentine was beheaded, not only because he was a Christian, but also because he had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailer's daughter of her blindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter, signing it "From Your Valentine." Another legend tells us that this same Valentine, well-loved by all, received notes to his jail cell from children and friends who missed him."
I like this one, it's dramatic and romantic, everything you want from a legendary tale.

" Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived at about the same time, AD 200. He was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor. Some legends say he was burned at the stake."

I guess nobody really knows how it all started but it all lead to this...
1900s
In the 1900s racist humor was though of as funny and entertaining instead of disgusting and degrading as it is now.
I guess that's why people used to send cards like this to their Valentines...
 
 Luckily not all Valentines cards were like this. People also used to send more traditional romantic cards to their sweethearts like these...


 But not everyones Valentines were as sweet as these...

Also popular at this time were a sort of reverse valentines card. I suppose they were rather helpful in telling your stalker you weren't interested in their advances.

1940s

Of course recourses in the 1940s were limited both burning and after the war and the "make do and mend" spirit of people wasn't dying out any time soon. These days we can go and buy a new frock or some sexy underclothes for our valentines to appreciate but the ordinary women of the 1940s couldn't.

They would have had to stitch up the tears and rips in their best frock and make do with the recourses they had to plan their valentines night... That is of course if their valentine wasn't off fighting in the war.

Because there were a lot of men and women away a lot of valentine cards were military themed...

I personally love the top one its so adorable!

1950s

By the 1950s the war and hardships of rationing had mostly disappeared and things like materials, make up and men ;) we're easier to get hold of.

Here are some 1950s valentines cards...

 

And my personal favourite...

Aww :)

Along with these cards women would have received a box or chocolates, flowers, a sweetheart ring/brooch or other piece of jewellery or some perfume.

It's incredible how much Valentines day  has changed over the years, how different cards we receive are and the merchandise that is now available for us to spend our money on.

Well I promise not to leave my blog lying dormant for ad long as I did last time, I'll be back soon with another vintage valentine post but in the mean time I'd love to know what interesting valentines facts you know so leave a comment and enlighten me :)

Till next time folks,

Laura Lou x