From Advice Columns to Comics: 300 Years of Valentine’s Day Celebrations
3 min read
| By Kevin Kohls |
Besides being a great excuse to eat candy, Valentine’s Day is a fascinating holiday to look back at primary source documents. From advertisements, love columns, children’s books and even notes primary sources offer a multitude of perspectives from which to analyze the history of Valentine’s day.
Organized chronologically the documents below offer glimpses into 300 years of Valentine’s Day celebrations.
“Reddriff. One of Neptunes Tennants, that us’d to Plow ….” Poor Robins Intelligence, 20 Feb. 1677. 17th and 18th Century Nichols Newspapers Collection, http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/93SzE1. Accessed 7 Feb. 2019.
“To a young Gentleman, on Valentine’s Day.” The Gentleman’s Magazine, 1 Feb. 1754, p. 90. American Historical Periodicals, http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/93T391. Accessed 7 Feb. 2019.
“St. Valentine’s Day.” Aurora and Franklin Gazette, 20 Feb. 1829. Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers, http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/94Drt5. Accessed 8 Feb. 2019.
St. Valentine Is Ignored Here, on Downgrade in America
“St. Valentine Is Ignored Here, on Downgrade in America.” New York Herald Tribune [European Edition], 14 Feb. 1937, p. 2. International Herald Tribune Historical Archive 1887-2013, http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/95esm4. Accessed 11 Feb. 2019.1967 The Times
Make your own Valentine
Gelson, Hilary. “Make your own Valentine.” Times, 8 Feb. 1967, p. 13. The Times Digital Archive, http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/95g8x7. Accessed 11 Feb. 2019.
