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Published January 29, 2008 03:16 pm - During the Civil War, soldiers sometimes spent more than a month's salary on a valentine card. And it may not even have gone to their wives or girlfriends, but to their mothers. Love, Victorian style By BETTY SMITH Press special writer TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — During the Civil War, soldiers sometimes spent more than a month's salary on a valentine card. And it may not even have gone to their wives or girlfriends, but to their mothers.
While such sentiments may be admirable, few women today would want lavish amounts spent on a card. They'd want a more lasting, and visible, token of affection, such as a piece of jewelry. The women who attended a Victorian valentine workshop at the Murrell Home Saturday didn't spend nearly a month's pay for the event, but came away with several cards and a plethora of ideas for creating others. Martha Ray, director of historic sites for the Oklahoma Historical Society and a showcase of knowledge about Victorian customs, led the workshop. "Valentine's Day originally was a holiday that was celebrated by women, and the cards were given from woman to woman. It was friendship then, not love," Ray said. During the Civil War, men got into the act by sending cards to their wives, girlfriends, and of course, their mothers back home. In that era, a handmade, imported valentine card could cost as much as $22, and the foot soldier only drew about $12 a month, if he got paid, Ray said. Cheaper cards were available, and postage was affordable -- a penny in those days. "They were expensive, but you can buy one for as little as a penny then," she said. Ray displayed samples of Victorian valentines, plus a few from the early 1900s, including a century-old card depicting a car with flowers on its wheels, carrying Cupid. During the 1890s, valentine cards began to incorporate humor, not necessarily the kind the recipient would appreciate. "A man might send a lady a valentine and not sign his name. It might even contain a marriage proposal," Ray sent. On Valentine's Day, the man might hang around the woman's house to see how she reacted to the card, and to him and any other men who might be present. Another "funny" card might say something like, "You may have the biggest nose in town, but I still love you." Again, the man's joy came from viewing the woman's reaction. Like Victorian interiors with their plethora of fancy furnishings and knickknacks displayed about everywhere, Victorian valentines were elaborate. They included many cutouts, multiple pieces, hand-cut paper lace, feathers and other "froufrou," as Ray termed it. "They could be hand-painted, hand-tinted. You could buy any type of valentine here in the United States that was available in Europe," Ray said. The makings of such cards abounded in the packets Ray distributed. "There's pink stuff everywhere. It just flies everywhere!" she said, pursuing a piece of feather boa that escaped from one of the packets. 
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