The tradition of exchanging Valentine's Day Cards is said to have begun as early as the 1400's. The first written Valentine's Day Card is said to have been written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, who following capture at the Battle of Agincourt, in 1415, wrote a poem to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London. The greeting has been preserved by British Library.
In the late 1700s printers began producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called "mechanical valentines". A reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing valentines. That, in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange Valentines cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.
Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 1800s that they were assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid 1800s. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.
In the UK, just under half the population spend money on their Valentines and around 1.3 billion pounds is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million Valentine cards being sent.
Article dated 1st August 2010
<< Previous Article |
