Celebrate the Day With Vintage Valentines From UVA Special Collections

February 11, 2022 • By Molly Minturn, mwm7b@virginia.edu Molly Minturn, mwm7b@virginia.edu

February 11, 2022
A collage of images: cupid, group photo of women, and an old painting of a woman sitting reading a book

Photos by Sanjay Suchak; photo illustration by Ziniu Chen, University Communications

The University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library holds more than 3.6 million items in its archives – among them delicate cards, miniature books and personal albums, all celebrating love.

To mark Valentine’s Day this year, UVA Today dug into the archives with two Special Collections staff members – Holly Robertson, an exhibits coordinator; and curator Krystal Appiah – to find vintage valentines, notes, photos and ephemera.

While the origin of many of the library’s valentines are a mystery, a few have stories attached. A 178-year-old valentine, sent by an unknown soldier to Mary Berdan, daughter of the first mayor of Toledo, Ohio, contains a handwritten poem full of yearning that ends with resignation: “I’ve thought of thee, Mary/As designed for another/And all that I can ask/Is to be thought of as a brother.” According to archive notes, the valentine was treasured by Berdan and passed down from one generation to the next until it was donated to the University by Berdan’s grandson, William Murphy, in 1964.

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Another item, a scrapbook that once belonged to a woman named Jessie Fuller, who was born in Chicago in 1926 and attended Hampton Institute from 1945 to 1949, contains valentines and notes from friends, as well as mementos from her sorority and photos of her basketball team.

“I love using the album in classes because students relate well to a peer from another historical era,” Appiah said in an email. “There’s a misconception that archives are only about serious research; but students always laugh and get excited as they leaf through the album in response to the joy that Jessie documents about belonging to a sorority, hanging out with her friends, and going to dances. African American history is so often limited to the difficult parts, like slavery and Jim Crow, but this album is a wonderful record of joy and social bonds.”

Take a look at UVA Library’s collection of valentines below.

This 1844 valentine was sent to Mary Berdan by an unknown soldier. The card consists of two folded sheets with an assortment of stars, birds, flowers and lace work, as well as a hand-written poem inside.
Four vintage valentines. The chipmunk card on the top right comes from Jessie Fuller’s album from the 1940s; the rest are of unknown origin.
This 1844 valentine was sent to Mary Berdan by an unknown soldier. The card consists of two folded sheets with an assortment of stars, birds, flowers and lace work, as well as a hand-written poem inside.
This 1844 valentine was sent to Mary Berdan by an unknown soldier. The card consists of two folded sheets with an assortment of stars, birds, flowers and lace work, as well as a hand-written poem inside.
This miniature book, titled “A Valentine,” was made by Jeanne Goessling and is part of the library’s McGehee Miniature Book Collection
This miniature book, titled “A Valentine,” was made by Jeanne Goessling and is part of the library’s McGehee Miniature Book Collection (for more about that collection, see the link in the first paragraph).
This intricate valentine of unknown origin features Niagara Falls in the background.
This intricate valentine of unknown origin features Niagara Falls in the background.
top left paper that reads welcome to the cupid club with a heart and a small book, the top right is a painted card and below both is a group photo of women from the cupid club
These items come from Jessie Fulller’s scrapbook: a program for a “Cupid Club” dance, a valentine from a friend and a photo of Fuller’s basketball team (Fuller is standing, far left). According to Appiah, Fuller’s father, S.B. Fuller, was a self-made millionaire and the founder of the nationwide cosmetics company Fuller Products.
Old Valentine Card
This interactive valentine of unknown origin shows secret shenanigans behind a fan.

Media Contact

Molly Minturn

Content Specialist University of Virginia Library

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April 23, 2024

Arts & Culture