Valentine Card
circa 1900
Sending valentine cards first became fashionable in Great Britain in the 19th century, and in 1847, a Massachusetts woman named Esther Howland created and sold the first mass-produced valentines in the United States. Her embossed paper lace valentines inspired so much popularity, that today, nearly one billion valentine cards are sent each year worldwide.
Independence Seaport Museum
1979.39.5
Ephemera Files
Dimensions: 4 1/4 × 2 7/8 inches