To My Valentine
Please don’t call a traffic cop – I’m “Going For You Strong” NON-STOP!
(To Raymond, From Grandma, Feb. 14, 1941)
ɞ ʚ ♥ ɞ ʚ
Vintage Valentines are a toothsome delight. Candy coated in saccharine sentiments so pure of heart, they’re the epitome of escapism. In this classic portrayal of love and friendship, cute cartoon children behave whimsically, exude innocence, and act ridiculously optimistic. Despite the sickly sweet tonality, I ate it up.
I didn’t know Raymond or his grandmother but I wish I knew Raymond’s daughter, Knitting Iris. When I stumbled on Iris’s photo stream of vintage valentines I was mesmerized by, well everything including her stories, pictures, and quilting.
The vintage valentines originally belonged to Iris’s father, Raymond, given to him by his grandmother when he was a boy in the 30’s and 40’s. Iris had the foresight and sentimentality to save them and encouraged readers to “Spread the love!” by posting them.
Thank you Knitting Iris – consider the love spread. ♥
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As a side note, I noticed a funny coincidence right before I posted this. The ‘I love you’ text in the headlamp of the original illustration was too small to carve so I drew a heart in its place. After the prints were completed and I was ready to publish, I came across a new picture of the card on a different page, which described it further. “The girl slips back and forth, peeking out from behind the driver and the headlight changes from a heart to ‘I love you.'” Discovering there was a heart under there all along was pretty sweet.
© 2013, Dana Aubrey
