A memory of sending beautiful, lacy cards for Valentine’s Day
My first thought on seeing this prompt was of the beautiful, old, lacy valentines in Mrs. R.’s collection. Unfortunately, I haven’t found them. Could I have sold them as they had no family names?
These valentines
(above) were in the collection of postcards. The one on the left is addressed to Miss Marjorie Ritchie from her cousin, Isabelle, sent from Lindsay, Feb. 13, 1914. The mail must have moved pretty quickly in those days even for one cent. Marjorie would have been four-and-a-half, and Isabelle, daughter of Amy Edge and Tom Firth, one-and-a-half.
The lovely butterfly and lace heart is addressed to Miss Dorothy Ritchie from Herb and written in Bagot, Manitoba, in 1915. Herb was her dad’s youngest brother who had gone west several years

before this. He apologizes for not having written for some time because he has been very busy, especially socially, it appears. He also sends Dorothy birthday wishes. She would have celebrated her fourth birthday the previous day.
This happy fellow
(right) was addressed to Mrs R. C. Robinson, Durham Memorial Hospital, Feb. 12, 1937, with love from (cousin) Belle McGirr. It recognized the birth of William David on Feb. 7 and offered best wishes “to you and your wee man.”
It also scolded the “Sun Times” newspaper for being lax in publishing the birth announcement which she had sent. The cost of postage had doubled in 20 years.
I see that sending valentines was not just a romantic or a children’s activity.
--Ruth Anne Hollands Robinson
February, 2021
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