Antique Valentines

Sherry James

Sherry James is a country girl to the bone and loves to write about sexy contemporary and historical cowboys. When she's not writing, she's riding one of her six horses, wrangling two kids, or laboring in the hayfield on the hottest dang days of the year with her hubby. You can find Sherry here every 2nd Friday of the month. Visit her web site www.sherryjames.com

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Since February is the month for romance and Valentines, I thought I’d share a few special Valentines with you all. These are special not only because they are antiques, but they were sent to my great-grandmother, Celia Boltz. She lovingly kept the cards in a neat postcard album. The photo on the left is her wedding photo. She was 19 at the time she married my great-grandfather, Emil Boltz, in 1903. Together they had a long married life and five children. The photo on the left is on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. My great-grandparents are on the left while the couple on the right is their attendants from all those years before.

By the number of cards in Celia’s album, sending postcards in the early years of the 2oth Century was a popular thing to do.  The album is full of postcards–including cards to celebrate Easter, Christmas, and offer Birthday wishes. They are all colorful, and just darn beautiful–works of art in their own right.

But what I find really interesting is how suggestive some of the cards are. Take a close look at these first two Valentines. The first one features a mischievous cupid who is silently suggesting  to the couple to “Get Busy”. Wow! Get busy? Just how busy? The card has a 1906 date, five years after Queen Victoria passed. Guess folks had decided to cut loose a bit during that time.

The second card features another couple with cupid once again doing the prompting, urging the woman to “Say Yes”. But is it me, or does the man look a bit put off or something? Is he mad because it’s taking so long for her to say yes? Or because she needs prompting in the first place? Or maybe he’s miffed because she’s not giving him the kiss he’s been longing for? In fact, neither of the men in these cards looks very thrilled with whatever the situation might be. Notice they both have their arms folded. Looks to me like these men could have used a lesson or two in body language and sending the right romantic signals.

What do you think? Are these guys embarrassed? Wishing they were someplace else? Or are they upset because their collars are too stiff and gouging their necks? Or are they peeved because their sweethearts aren’t giving them the kind of “sweets” they’re craving this Valentine’s Day?

These last two cards I thought I’d share just because I like them. Love the white horse, and I love the woman’s hat. Both very elegant.

I hope you all have a Happy Valentine’s Day. Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure and stop by my web site for all the latest on my books and contests. While you’re there, be sure and check out my new feature, The Ketch Pen. There you will find a new interview each month with a fantastic romance author.

See you all in March!

Sherry James

10 Responses to “Antique Valentines”

• Brenda Rumsey [ 08Feb13]
  

  Thanks for sharing the pictures and old cards with us. The two men definitely look a little out of sorts. Smile. Leads to all kinds of speculations.

   
• Sherry James [ 08Feb13]
  

  Thanks for stopping, Brenda. They do make you wonder! Have a good one!

   
• Quilt Lady [ 08Feb13]
  

  Oh have wonderful to have something like this from the past. So Cool!

   
• Mary Preston [ 09Feb13]
  

  These are fabulous thank you. I love old photographs. When I visit my Mother we always pull out the old albums & go through them. Some of the bridal gown of days gone by are just exquisite.

   
• Linda LaRoque [ 10Feb13]
  

  Wonderful post, Sherry, and what memories must be tucked away in that book. Vintage cards are really collectible. You probably have a gold mine there.

   
• Sherry James [ 11Feb13]
  

  Hi, Quilt Lady! Yes, it is wonderful. I really treasure them. They are so neat.

   
• Sherry James [ 11Feb13]
  

  Hi, Mary. I love the old photos, too. I could look at them for hours. So much fun to see how things really were in years past, and to see those loved ones who are gone.

  Thanks for stopping!

   
• Sherry James [ 11Feb13]
  

  Hi, Linda. Yes, if only those cards could talk and share some memories verbally. Yeah, they could be a goldmine, but my family could never part with them. Much too special!

  Thanks for commenting!

   
• Ann Stephens [ 13Feb13]
  

  My mom has several dating back to the early 1900s as well, mostly for Christmas & Easter. I just LOVED seeing your Valentine’s collection, especially the cupid ‘knight’ with his verse.

  What a great look back to decades past.

   
• Niecey Roy [ 15Feb13]
  

  I don’t know how I missed this post! So glad I came back around and found it. I LOVE the cards! It is so amazing that she kept so many of them. What a treasure, Sherry I find both of those middle cards hilarious. One, because I think people incorrectly assume that back then, just because the collars were tight and the dresses long, people back then didn’t have 50 Shades of Gray-ish thoughts, ha ha!!! I just never thought back then they’d be so bold to send out cards that pretty much put those thougths on paper. However, they were a bit more classy with it than some of the cards today, ha! Thanks for sharing this post. I’m going to share on Facebook. So neat!

   

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