Embossed, paper lace Valentine greeting cards first appeared in England around 1803 and became more popular with advances in printing and manufacturing. By the 1840s, giving Valentine cards was a widespread practice in America.
At the forefront of Valentine manufacturing was Esther Allen Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, MA, who started mass producing cards in 1847, shortly after her graduation from Mount Holyoke College. The daughter of a Plymouth sea captain and bookbinder, Esther’s business flourished through the 1880s when she sold her interests to the George C. Whitney Company who produced her card designs until 1941. Esther was a direct descendant of John Howland of the Mayflower and shared family ties with many Newporters including Catherine Howland, the wife of architect Richard Morris Hunt.
A Valentine from the NHS Collections