Roses are red, violets are blue…
Posted in Browsing the Collections, Courtship Love & Lust on 02/10/2010 02:38 pm by Sarah-Jane M. Poindexter
"A Token of Affection."
This post marks the beginning of a new, exciting series on our blog: “Courtship, Love, & Lust.” This series will explore items in The Filson’s collections concerning all matters of the heart. Check back for future posts on romance, heartache, and the occasional perversion.
Second only to Christmas, Valentines is the largest card sending day of the year. The custom of giving Valentines greetings dates back as far as the Middle Ages, when lovers sang or spoke their messages of affection. It wasn’t until the 1400s when the written Valentine became common. Tradition has it that while imprisoned within the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt (1415), Charles, Duke of Orleans wrote romantic rhymed poems and love letters to his wife in France. These messages of love are considered to be progenitors of the modern Valentine. Sixty of the Duke’s valentines remain today as part of the royal papers collection in the British Museum. Read the rest of this entry »
