Feature Article on Valentine's Day.
Topic: EVENTS
By Jim Sayre in February, 2000
HOW DID VALENTINE'S DAY START? |
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| "In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began
to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth
century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small
tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began
to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards
were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of
one's feelings was discouraged. "Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700's. In the 1840's Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America." — From the Internet. This charming Valentine postcard at right was addressed to "Master Russell Sayre" and was mailed from the Sidney Post Office in the early 1900’s. Mr. Sayre is a member of the Shelby County Historical Society. |
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