The Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposia - Smithsonian ...

1 2 8 • s m i t h s o n i a n c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o h i s t o ry a n d t e c h n o l o g yIn dress show more sense,You queer Valentine. 26The picture accompanying this verse shows a dandysporting a red cravat, yellow gloves, a yellow checkedvest, a black felt jacket and pants, stylish black leatherboots, and an exceedingly tall top hat. The dandy puffson a cigar, carries a walking stick, swells his chest, andwears an expression of self- satisfaction that augments his“dandified” air.My survey of over two hundred period valentines intwo major collections in Bath, UK 27 reveals that romanticvalentines teach us about Victorian aesthetics and thenew moral attitude of love that burgeoned in the 1830s,accompanying the coronation of Victoria and markingan end to the rakish ways of Victoria’s “wicked” uncles,George IV and William IV. From romantic valentines,we discern stories of ardent passion, shy or secret love,warm affection, imagined happiness, and feared rejection.Flowers, churches, angels, birds and nests, cupids, flamingtorches, bows, butterflies, hearts and darts, arrows,musical instruments, and wedding rings are all commonVictorian icons of romantic love. Romantic valentines featureclichéd messages, such as “Constant and True,” “Befor ever mine,” “Thine forever,” and “Ever Affectionate,”aligning romantic love with constancy and lasting affectionas well as monogamy.The two most ever- present icons on romantic valentinesare flowers and churches or church spires. 28 The Victorianswere well- versed in what they called the “languageof flowers,” the sentiments and values that different typesof flowers represent. Today, we still associate roses withlove, but we might not link a foxglove with insincerityor realize that the color of a flower, such as a rose, couldchange its meaning. To the Victorians, a red rose meant“passionate love,” but a yellow rose signified “jealousy.” 29Placing specific flowers on a romantic missive offered away to express love without words. Thomas Hardy inFar from the Madding Crowd (1874), for example, includesthree flowers on the larky valentine that BathshebaEverdene wantonly posts to Farmer Boldwood—red rose,blue violet, and carnation—which mean, respectively,“love,” “faithfulness,” and “Alas! for my poor heart” (fora red carnation). 30 No wonder Boldwood is entranced,even though Bathsheba intends the valentine as a practicaljoke. Other flowers that commonly appear on periodvalentines include lilies of the valley for “return of happiness,”bluebells meaning “constancy,” forget- me- nots for“true love,” daisies meaning “innocence,” and white liliesfor “purity and sweetness.” 31 (Figure 6)Figure. 6. “Love & Duty.” Undated Victorian valentine fromthe Frank Staff Collection. Reproduced by kind permission of BathPostal Museum, UK.The church and its steeple signified fidelity in love andhonorable intentions as well as marriage plans. This wasan age when engagements often lasted for years. A couplecould not marry until a man was financially secure, so afiancé, by sending a card with a church spire, could assurehis betrothed of his unfailing love. For those not yetengaged, the church icon offered a way for a suitor toinform his sweetheart of his honorable intentions. Popularnautical- themed valentines, which pair fidelity in lovewith duty, tell us that the Victorian soldier or sailor, occupiedin Empire building, promised to remain faithfulto his true love as he dutifully served his country. In onesuch undated period valentine called “Love and Duty,” 32the heart on the side of the valentine is presumably thesoldier’s heart, and the church spire (in the background)stands as an assurance that marriage will reward a virtuousheart.