Skip to main content

Valentine card: P.14573-R

An image of Valentine card
View image details

Terms of use

The low-resolution images published on this Website are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY-NC-ND). For more details: Fitzwilliam Terms of Use

This licence does not include any images of works that are still in copyright. Artistic copyright extends from the life of the artist to 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the artist died.

Download this image

For further information on use of images or to license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who can discuss terms and fees.

Alternative views

An image of Valentine card
An image of Valentine card
Current Location: In storage

Titles

Valentine card

Maker(s)

Publisher: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

A Leap Year valentine. A large 8vo-size valentine on white wove paper with a lace-paper border on the recto. At the centre is a hand-painted design of violets, fushia, convolvulus and pink carnations tied with a painted blue ribbon bow. Hand-written initials in brown ink have been added within the flowers at lower centre: 'F.H. / to / W.S.H.'. The valentine has been folded five times for delivery. Inside is a hand-written and self-penned verse in brown ink from a lady: 'Could'st thou leave me, and deceive me / cruel heartless man? / I who loved thee, oh so dearly! / More than any can?- / Silent and sad, and almost mad / I wander up and down! / I shun the shops, avoid the hops / In this detested Town - / The Beaux in vain, A smile to gain / My face and form admire / The Lords I spurn, From Captains turn / and hate the country squire - / My song and lute, alas are mute / and Rome is Rome no more / But on this day, fair maidens may / Tell _him_ whom they adore / This is Leap year, and do you hear / That I will be your Wife - / Then leave Talgarth, Return to Bath - / My Wentworth, Love, and Life-'. On the verso is a handwritten address to a gentleman (apparently a sailor in the Royal Navy): W.S. Holsworthy Esq. / H Captain Thurston's R.N. / Talgarth / Machynlleth / North Wales'. A postmark at upper right: D / PAID / 13 FE 13 / 1840; 'postage paid' written in ink above the stamp in the same hand.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by Dr J. W. L. Glaisher, 1928

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

19th Century
Production date: AD 1840-02-13

School or Style

British

Techniques used in production

Watercolour
Pen and ink
Gouache

Identification numbers

Accession number: P.14573-R
Primary reference Number: 215518

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 14 February 2017 Updated: Friday 26 January 2018

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Valentine card" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/215518 Accessed: 2025-12-13 08:29:21

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/215518 |title=Valentine card |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-13 08:29:21|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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-215518

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

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_14573_R_1_201611_amt49_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Valentine card"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Valentine card</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...

University of Cambridge Museums logo
Cambridge City Council logo
Arts Council England Logo
Research England logo