How Did Valentine’s Day Start?

Valentine’s Day is believed to have existed since the third Century AD, originating with a priest in Rome named St Valentine. The Emperor at the time, Claudius II, had banned marriage, but Valentine broke the rules to perform secret unions. When Claudius found out, he threw Valentine into jail and sentenced him to death. It was there that he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, and when he was taken away to be killed on the 14^th of February, he sent her a love letter signed ‘from your Valentine.’

‘This sparked a tradition of sending love letters and cards from ‘your Valentine’, that became widely popular during the Victorian era. It is estimated that by the mid 1820s, around 200,000 Valentines were distributed around London. The penny postal service meant that people could send cards to their sweethearts quickly and cheaply, choosing either to sign their name, or remain anonymous.

Quirky Victorian Valentine’s Day Cards

There are certainly some weird and wonderful Valentine’s Day cards from the Victorian period, many of which are preserved within the Museum of London’s collections. Some are beautifully illustrated, while others are teasing and silly, or just plain insulting. One thing they all have in common is that they are hand-made, using materials such as scraps of paper, lace, and even stuffed birds!