Happy Valentines Day To All Of You Out There On Steemit
Here, I present to you on this day of romance, chocolate and Love -- Valentine's Day Cards -- from a time way way back. I do not have any human children of my own, and since cats don't give cards to anyone on February the 14th, I am not as well-versed in the ways of this 'Holiday of Romance' thing within the world of present-day youngsters.
I assume the practice of handing out cards or other tokens of affection in school still exists today. But since I'm clueless as to the how-to-for's in this realm of small-person romance, I would be interested to know what is going on in the 'today' world of schoolyard-based, artfully-professed Love.
Kiss Her? I Can't Even TALK To Her Without Feeling Ill!
Though clueless to present practice, I DO have deep, wonderful memories of this time from when I was young. Cards of a similar nature were given out on this special day, to whomever you chose to give them to. Fully intended to profess deep Love and Devotion to someone across the aisle in class, down the hallway by the gym, or somewhere else within the bounds of the school grounds.
And let's face it, this romance stuff is a whole lot easier on a card than in person. Particularly if you are less than 10 years old, and have NO clue what you are doing in the giddy, oh-so scary, new-world of budding romance.
A Large Collection Of Heartfelt Feelings
A friend from work gave me these cards several years ago. She had a box of old Valentines she had collected from somewhere. I KNOW they weren't from her world of romantic giving and receiving, as many are from around 1935, and she wasn't even close to old-enough to call them hers. She wasn't even a sprig of an idea yet when these were formed on a printing press.
However she acquired them, I greatly enjoyed receiving them, if only in a shoe box. Rather than, unfortunately, as originally intended -- sitting at my 3rd grade, flip-top desk, looking up dreamily into Sherrie Leuter's blue eyes while she handed me my special card. Sigh...lofty dreams die hard. Even WITH raft-loads of time passing under the bridge of life.
No Sherrie Love - But Still A Lot Of Fun
I still enjoy looking at this blast from the romantic past, and would like to share them with you as well. They are a classic piece of history from some special times of (mostly) youthful romance. From an era long long ago, and probably now long-gone as well. Enjoy.
Animals were a popular theme. The duck is really a cute little doober. Not sure if the first card with the racehorse came edged like that from the store, or Mom used the pinking sheers on it to add a special touch of 'something'. Hope it worked, if that was Mom's intent.
I like the clever use of the 2 with the puppy. Sort of an early version of cell-phone texting and such. And I'm not sure if the baseball bounced off the heart in the other card, or Bun Rabbit just hit a foul ball and struck out with his object of hoped-for affection. Let's hope-for the first scenario.
Many of the cards seem to be themed on 'career'. As demonstrated above (↑)and below (↓). I'm guessing these are from the 1960's, with the Space-Man in Love, and Better Living Through Chemistry themes. Both ideas were very popular in the 1950's-1960's. Thanks-be the second one kind of went by the wayside a bit.
Believe He Had A Bad Case Of The Dry-Throated Knee-Shimmies, Watson
I love looking at the writing on the back of these, trying to Sherlock out what the scoop might have been on that special day. Some are obviously signed by the youthful giver, such as traffic-cop dog Todd (↑). I'm guessing he was very young. Or exceedingly nervous about being VERY much in love.
Some other card signatures suggest that they were signed by an older person. Mom or Dad may have helped out now and then. I thought this about Wanda The Chemist at first glance above(↑). But on closer look, I think this was actually signed by Wanda. Maybe while mastering her cursive lettering. It was 'practiced' with pencil first, and then once finalized in ink, proceeded downhill too fast to have been penned by Mom or Dad.
Then again, if asked to help sign the card as he ran out the door, briefcase in hand and late for work, Dad MIGHT have done a poor job too. But I'm sticking with Wanda, signing her Enduring Love to who-knows-who on her own.
This card obviously does something, when you first receive it. There are folds and multiple layers stacked up one after the other. Second photo below(↓) shows the card folded out. There is an area in the middle to pencil or pen your name and deep feelings.
Unfortunately it never was used, as it is unsigned. Or possibly the romantic giver just wanted to stay totally anonymous. I can fully understand that, from my days of youth: "I love you DEARLY, but just from very very afar".
A very sweet card, for its time. I really like the pointy, coy pigeon-toes of love. This one is priceless. There is even a little 'flap' to fold out at the bottom. No doubt so you can display it on your work desk or other necessary area, to help point out to your skeptical friends: "See, I TOLD you she liked me. Nanner Nanner!!"
These 'cards' are actually very small and fragile About an inch and a half wide by two inches across. They appear to be very old. Turn of the last century maybe? They are embossed, with quite a bit of vertical relief. I'm not so sure they were for Valentine's Day or not. Ships, sea shells, doves, and a Courier and Ive's scene. Possibly given for other reasons when reaching out to other folk. Weddings? Funerals? New Baby? Any ideas out there in SteemitLand?
Glenn signed the card above in rather exuberant fashion. Think he was a youngster. But looking at the front of the card BELOW (↓), he gave his Love an old fashioned shoe...? Not sure what the intent was for this one. Either someone at home picked it out for him, or he just liked fashionable shoes.
The Hopeless Romantic At 'Work'
Reminds me of some of the more misguided things I did during these stages of romantic 'education' growing up. (No, not the shoe card, other amorous, wonderfully creative things of the clueless-absurd).
Oh me oh my. How to profess great, undying love? These moments of exceedingly blunt practice usually occurred on the walk home from school. Throwing slush balls at the same Sherrie Leuter (I was persistent if nothing else - unrequited love will do that to you) on the shared sidewalk at the end of the day.
Or dumping Marty Browne upside down into a pile of freshly-fallen leaves in front of Mr. Crab Salad's house on the corner. (He yelled at us any time we 'strayed' off the sidewalk, 2" into his lawn. Irrelevant, but I still remember his voice to this very day.) Marty was not that impressed by these amorous dunking's into the leaf pile.
Maybe if I'd given either of these girls a card with an old-fashioned blue shoe on the front I would have been more successful . Then again, I'm not sure anything would have helped back then in my ever-present, totally clueless state of hopeless romance. And it's clumsy-at-best expression toward the focus of my intentions.
I feel for the young girls of the world. Though hard to believe -- it DOES get better -- as we boys grow older, more brave about even talking to girls, and replace snowballs and leaf piles with flowers, chocolates, and special Valentine's Day Cards.
~ Finto ~
Thanks so much for reading, and hope you have a marvelous Valentines Day today
Stay tuned, there may be more Valentines Day cards coming out tomorrow as well.
Thanks for stopping in and viewing the many old cards of Love on Valentine's Day. If you have any thoughts about old cards, new cards, electronic cards, Love in general, how to express this Love when your knees are knocking, or anything else this post reminds you of, please feel free to comment away in the spaces below. I'd LOVE to hear from you.
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Posted: 02/14/2018 @ 18:52
Excerpts From Late-Night Conversations With A Mechanical Cat
Fact Number 34
