Antique Esther Howland New England Valentine Co Die Cut Paper Lace Valentine's Card Child Jockey Horse Interior Poem

Antique Esther Howland New England Valentine Co Die Cut Paper Lace Valentine's Card Child Jockey Horse Interior Poem

Stands approx. 3 1/2" x 3"

Condition:
VG

*Information Provided by the Worcester Valentine Museum and the Library of Congress

**For nearly 100 years, Worcester was the center of the commercial valentine industry in the United States. In 1847, according to local folklore, Worcester resident Esther Howland received an English valentine, which inspired her to design her own. She sold her cards through her father’s stationery store. Business flourished, and Esther recruited friends to assemble cards in a third-floor room at the family residence, 16 Summer Street.
In 1866 Howland Incorporated her business and it became known as the NEW ENGLAND VALENTINE CO.
In the early 1880s Howland was forced to sell her company to George Whitney in order to care for her ailing father. Esther Howland's place in history is forever cemented as a female entrepreneur and "Mother" of the modern day valentine card.

Please examine images for best analysis of condition. Items are old and have been previously loved for many years, a person's acceptable age issues with antique items may differ from one to the next.