#comicvalentines

This comic valentine is anything but a sweet token of affection, but we at the Library Company love its rhyming barbs, especially since they aren’t directed at us. 

This comic valentine takes issue with cabinet makers, but we feel differently. Our current exhibition, Stylish Books : Designing Philadelphia Furniture, highlights the craftsmanship and style of Philadelphia furniture making in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Visit https://librarycompany.org/stylish/ to see the online exhibit!

It’s time for another #SleepingInTheStacks feature! Titled Miss Sleepy-Head, this circa 1840-1880 comic valentine reads:

My pretty maid, to me it seems / You’re always in the land of dreams; / Take my advice, and never wed - / Your mate should be a feather bed.

Comic valentines, very popular in the United States beginning in the early 1840s, are quite different from the lacy, heart-shaped cards that one associates with the holiday today. The cartoons and verses poke fun at various occupations, ethnicities, human frailties, romantic aspirations, habits and pastimes, political activities, as well as participation in the American Civil War.

We know Miss Sleepy-Head is meant as a joke, but we’re kind of jealous of her sleepy ways.

See more comic valentines here!

It’s time for a comic valentine edition of Fishy Friday! This valentine, titled Vain Old Fool, mocks the idea of an older man (portrayed as a bird) pursuing the love of a much younger woman (portrayed as a fish). The last two verses read: The ladies laugh at your ogling eyes, / And shut their ears to your pumped up sighs. 

Comic valentines were popular in the United States beginning in the early 1840s. Using caricatures and verse, they typically poke fun at various occupations, ethnicities, human frailties, romantic aspirations, habits, pastimes, political activities, and even participation in the American Civil War. It seems no one was spared from ridicule! 

The Library Company’s collection of Comic Valentines always have fishy intentions, but this one is just so meta. 

“Now make room upon your lap, ask your silly questions while I nap!”

(Because we all know that is the real reason why cats pass judgement on their owners) Happy Caturday!

“Cat-lick’d, and shotten herring fed”

These 19th century comic valentines share a poem, yet the imagery is slightly different. Look closely to notice the variation between the two prints (especially the shadows cast by the cats). We do not know which valentine was printed first, and can only assume one inspired the other. A cat-lick’d Caturday, indeed!

[left]  A Stingy Man. [New York] : J. Wrigley, Publisher, 27 Chatham Street. N.Y. [between 1840 and 1880?]   

This comic Valentine may have been a major burn to the original recipient, but it makes for a perfect #Caturday !