These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.
Download this imageCreative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.
Can you cipher, darling?
Embossed, lace-paper of bird and vine design mounted over a pink slip paper with a pair of cut-paper lithographed and hand-coloured white cockatoos, a die-cut chromolithograph of red roses and a novelty cut-paper slate onto which Dobb's has written in white: 'Can you / cipher / darling?' and with punning answer below in manufacturer's handwritten inscription: 'Yes dear! / I sigh for thee'. The slate lifts to reveal a hand-written inscription: 'May our / love multiply / but let us / never divide'. The lack of paper backing means that the valentine is unmarked, but the remaining components have the hallmarks of Henry Dobbs. An example of the same valentine, without the slip paper and with a slightly different sprig of flowers (which is indicative of the variety that was available to consumers) is in the Jonathan King collection of valentines at the Museum of London: 34.170/320.
Bequeathed by Dr J. W. L. Glaisher, 1928
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr
Baxter-process print
Hand colouring
Collage
Accession number: P.14342-R-47
Primary reference Number: 206527
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Can you cipher, darling?" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/206527 Accessed: 2024-05-01 23:12:16
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/206527
|title=Can you cipher, darling?
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-05-01 23:12:16|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-206527
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp77/P_14342_R_47_1_201604_amt49_dc2.jpg"
alt="Can you cipher, darling?"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Can you cipher, darling?</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Accession Number: PD.790-1963
Accession Number: P.14542-R
Accession Number: ANE.2c.1975
Accession Number: P.14345-R-62
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...
