I've got an eye out for early Valentines every day of the year, this one dating to the 1840s and, rather miraculously, still accompanied by its original envelope, mailed to a Catherine Stowell of Paris, Maine, with postmark on the envelop and traces of the red wax seal still attached. Clearly it meant a lot to our Catherine!--and one might guess she married the young man who sent it to her. What really sold me on it is the mirror at center of the front, which I've never seen an example of before, and which appears cracked into several shards but held tightly together forever by the die-cut floral wreath surrounding it. Quite poignant I think, with a handwritten verse inside speaking to eternal love "like the evening star that glows" that will persist even while the "stream will cease to flow."
Envelope: 10" x 8 3/8". Valentine: 9 7/8" x 7 7/8". Cracks in the mirror as evident and think all to the good. With one small loss to the top left corner and one small hole in the surface of the valentine giving a peak at the text inside. Overall very good condition.
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