Victorian Valentines in a Victorian Home

Victorian Valentine's and Postcards Exhibit

The Westfield Historical Society will be hosting a special exhibit of Victorian Valentines the first two weekends in February at the Reeve History and Cultural Resource Center located at 314 Mountain Avenue in Westfield, New Jersey.

The Valentines and postcard exhibit was loaned from a larger collection by Jean Groszmann, who has been collecting them for over four decades. The collection spans the period beginning in 1840 through the 1920's and includes German, English and American produced valentines including penny post cards.

The majority of early Victorian valentines were customarily made by hand from honeycombed tissue, watercolors, paper puffs, embossed paper hearts and exquisite lace.  These truly beautiful small works of art harken back the days of old when Valentines expressed sentiments of adoration through hand crafted excellence.

The exhibit will be open from 1PM to 5 PM on Saturday, February 1 and 8 and on Sunday, February 2 and 9.

In addition to the display, there will be a valentine workshop on the history of Victorian valentines hosted by the Union County 4-H Living History Club at the Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center for children

ages 6-12 on Saturday February 8 from 10AM- Noon. An adult must accompany each child registered for the workshop.  Each attendant will make a valentine to take home. The cost is $3 to cover supplies.

Registration is limited so please call soon to reserve your spot. To register please call the Historical Society office at 908-654-1794 or send an email to info@westfieldhistoricalsociety.org

The Westfield Historical Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and encourage interest in history, Westfield and its residents through educational efforts and community outreach.