Mother of the American Valentine - Postcard Friendship Friday #49

I find it amazing that one woman, Esther Howland, is held responsible for the creation of our modern day Valentine's Day Card.  It goes to show one person really can accomplish incredible things. 

In the mid-1800's, with technological advances and the availability of paper, Esther is credited with several innovations in Valentine design. One was the small brightly colored wafer of paper placed beneath, to give contrast under the white paper lace; another was the built-up shadow box.
  

It all began through the family business.  Esther's family operated the largest bookstore and stationery store in Worchester, Massachusetts.  Born in the same time period as poet Emily Dickenson, the young girl received a beautifully intricate English Valentine and was inspired.  She persuaded her Dad to order lace paper and other supplies to make some sample cards, which her brother added to the store's catalog.  They were only expecting $200 in advance orders and were shocked when $5,000 worth of her home made cards were pre-ordered. 

Since Esther couldn't make that many cards all by herself, she asked three of her best friends to help out.  In this way a  Valentine's Day Card assembly line was born.  Esther placed her first ad in the local paper in 1850.  The business grew and in a short time The New England Valentine Company was born.  Her cards were so greatly in demand, she quickly rented a small building for the business.

While other companies competed for sales to the public, none could compete with the value, taste, and style of Esther Howland. Her cards set the trend for years.  While she was not the first to create Valentine cards in America, she is credited with having popularized the lace Valentine and turning it into a major industry.

The business flourished despite her semi-retirement in 1866, when a recurring knee injury forced her to use a wheelchair.  When her father fell ill in 1881, she sold her business to George Whitney, in order to care for her father. George Whitney continued to pattern many of their cards in the Howland Style. Esther died in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1904 -- never having married.  The honor, The Mother of the American Valentine appeared in a newspaper article shortly after her death.

To see more wonderful postal stuff, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory at Weekend Mailbox!

Goodbye Dear Bootz

Our precious Bootz flew away to Cat Heaven yesterday morning.  She seemed to be under the weather so I took her to the vet.  X-rays revealed our darling girl had an enlarged heart and a collapsed lung--with only hours left to live.  The Vet said she either contracted a virus, or cancer which had been coming on for some time.  Thankfully, up until yesterday morning, Bootz had no symptoms of pain or discomfort, whatsoever.

This morning in the twilight of sleep, I felt her snuggled against my side--I felt the warmth and the weight of her body there.  But as I awoke, I realized once again, our small companion has gone.  Our hearts are broken, but how grateful we are to have known her these six months.

Bootz The Cat - Postcard Friendship Friday #48

I am a bit late with PFF today, because my darling little Friend, Bootz the Cat is not feeling well.  This lovely silhouette was drawn by my talented sister-in-law, Jane.  It is my privilege to share this wonderful piece with you today. 

It may be silly, but would you pray our dear Bootz feels better soon?

To see more wonderful postal stuff, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory at Weekend Mailbox!

I Have A Dream - Postcard Friendship Friday # 47

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

"This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

"This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, 'My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'"

The above is an excerpt from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech.  Along with George Washington Carver and Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King is one of my heros.  

God made all people.  What God made, He said, was good!  People are like flowers, they come in all different shapes, colors and sizes and they are all beautiful.  

To see more wonderful postal stuff, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory at Weekend Mailbox!

Flowers and Butterflies - Pink Saturday

 This card was given to me by Gramma Gladys. She collected the largest collection of cards I've ever seen--all meticulously organized. I still use those cards--I have boxes of them in my office. I am so honored to have them, and use them.

The older cards I carefully set aside to be a part of my collection of vintage cards. This particular card caught my interest because of its gorgeous butterflies and flowers. I love its' design--haphazardly stacked up across the card, creating a delicate movement of subject, line and color which fills my eyes.

For more wonderful things in pink, visit Beverly at  How Sweet The Sound! 

Be Still My Heart - Postcard Friendship Friday #46

I've never seen a sad Valentine's Day postcard before, but this one is exactly that--though there is a glimmer of hope held within that poem.  I have to admit to experiencing a broken heart several times in my youth--this is exactly how a person would feel.  The truth is, the sun does still shine above stormy clouds--and though I remember the feelings of heartache I once knew, I do not feel the awful pain today.  For that I am grateful!

To see more wonderful postal stuff, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory at Weekend Mailbox!

A Dog's Life

Years ago, at an estate sale held across from the school I attended as a child, I bought a homemade book of old Valentine cards for about $5. The cards inside were glued on used typing paper with a glue I remember from my childhood. It came in little buckets.  The lid had a stiff spreader attached inside.  It wasn't very good glue, as I recall. I remember as a little girl, using it in the old cook shack at the church I attended then.  I can even still remember its distinctive aroma and, er, taste.

This Valentine is from sometime in the early 1930's. In order for the card to stand, it was made to bend into fourths. I love this particular card! Especially the little dog, along with the girl's "Mary Jane" shoes and flapper hair bob.

Grumpy Baby - Pink Saturday

This is one of my favorite cards of all time. Aren't those rosy pink cheeks just irresistible?  I'm dedicating this blog entry to my darling niece, who can stick her adorable lip out with the best of 'em.

This is a charming First Birthday Card, probably printed in the 1930's. Some things never change over the years--and that includes kids.  I believe every parent, including me, remember times our children's faces looked exactly like this Grumpy Baby.

Isn't it interesting that, somehow, even when a tiny child may be feeling a tad testy, he or she can be SO cute, it's hard not to smile?

For more wonderful things in pink, visit Beverly at  How Sweet The Sound!

Old Christmas Day - Postcard Friendship Friday #45

 
Christmas on January Seventh is known in many countries, as Old Christmas Day. The date for Christmas changed in 1752, when England and Scotland switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendars, dropping 11days.  However, those pesky rural folk did not accept the loss of those 11 days and preferred to celebrate Christmas the way they had for centuries.

There are some charming traditions associated with Old Christmas Day.  White cloth is used on dinner tables to symbolize purity--and the swaddling clothes baby Jesus was wrapped in. Straw is mounded upon the table to symbolize the simplicity of the place where the Christ Child was born.  Candles are lit to represent the light of the Savior and the festive Christmas meal represents the end of fasting.

To see more wonderful postal stuff, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory at Weekend Mailbox!

Doggone Nice - Guest Heart Thursday

This is one of the Valentine Cards from my collection. This funny card was probably printed in the USA in the early 1940's.    I love this fellow--he looks so snappy in his checkered pants and stripped scarf and hat!  And look at those skates!

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

This card was probably printed in the USA in the early 1940's.