St. Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day was an important day for letters and, as recorded by David M. Henkin, caused post offices to be “lumbered with wagon loads of valentines” (Henkin 149). He also notes that St. Valentine’s Day was popular as a “prolific source of dead letters” (149) and many papers and publications began “marking the passing of the holiday by detailing the number of valentines that had “passed through the post office”” (149), this, according to Henkin typifies “America’s growing dependence on the post.” (150). This particular image, a regular appearance in Harper’s Magainze (Henkin 149), depicts Valentine’s Day as “The old story in all lands”, thus internationalizing and historicizing the now common use of the letter, most specifically the Valentine. Papers can be seen in three instances in the corresponding image, twice in the image’s forefront as passing between two couples, and again throughout the page stuck in the mouths of delivery birds.