Handmade cards:
- With the expression of felling or emotion heavily frowned upon as improper in Victorian England, many cherished the cards and letters they received for Valentine’s Day far more than those they got for Christmas or birthdays
- While you might think of more modern styles of greeting cards that are sleek, adorned with hearts, and maybe hold a short poem or sentiment inside, Victorian Valentines were something else entirely
- The overall theme for Victorian Valentine’s card was maximalism – the more gaudy, tacky, or over the top embellishments a card had the bigger your declaration of love, from lace doilies to paintings, pressed flowers, and even a dead canary there was no limit to what the Victorians would use to get their romantic point across
Puzzle purse:
- Similar in design to the origami fortune teller that you might have made at school, the puzzle purse was made from a single piece of paper that was decorated and folded to conceal a secret romantic message
- Pre-dated the Victorian era but they boomed in popularity as a way of letting someone know that they had a secret admirer
- Often hand decorated with flowers and love hearts, puzzle purses were a more discreet way for the Victorians to declare their affections
Vinegar Valentines:
- Popular tradition that allowed the Victorians to really let someone know what they thought of them – would be sent from a secret nemesis and was known for leaving a sour taste in the mouths of their recipients
- Often decorated with an unflattering caricature and a cheeky poem, vinegar Valentines could call out their intended recipient for everything from their drunken behaviour to being tight with money or notorious flirts
- A tongue-in-cheek form of character assassination, it’s no wonder that this is a tradition that has remained firmly in the past
Flower language:
- The language of flowers was another way to surreptitiously express your feelings to someone without having to say the words out loud – everything from colour to flower type had a meaning, so a well-curated bouquet of flowers could speak volumes without you ever having to say or write a word
- Red roses expressed intense love and passion, while pink was symbolic of a less intense romance, white signified innocence and purity, purple violets indicated that someone couldn’t stop romantically thinking about you, and peonies signified feeling bashful
- Flowers could also be used to turn down potential suitors or cool off fiery passions that weren’t quite requited – a yellow carnation for disdain could turn ant hopeful suitor cold, while a yellow rose would establish that you were firmly in the friend zone
Love gloves:
- While a love glove has a wholly different meaning today, in Victorian England, it was a subtle and intimate way of flirting or communicating intentions – especially in a crowded or public setting
- How a woman held her gloves could indicate everything from ‘I want to get to know you’ to ‘kiss me’ or even ‘I can’t stand you’.
- Actions could be subtle, like twirling them around your fingers to indicate that you’re being watched, to something blunter, like putting them away to suggest that you were annoyed
