Love Me, Love Me Not: Emotion and Identity in 19th-Century Valentines

Love Me, Love Me Not: Emotion and Identity in 19th-Century Valentines

February 7, 2024
1:30pm ET
Virtual Event | Free

Nineteenth-century valentines are typically recognized as pretty tokens of love and affection, prized for their intricate, decorative designs. The comic variant of the valentine, however, communicated very different sentiments indeed. Gaining popularity by the mid-1800s, and notable for their surprisingly malicious humor, comic valentines deployed strategies akin to 21st-century “trolling.” Rather than expressing fond regard, they were satirical, mocking, and rude, revealing the valentine’s subversive potential.

Sponsored by the Visual Culture Program

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