It’s Valentine’s Day today, and I hope it’s a happy one. May you all have all the love in your life you can possibly hope for!
However, as Atlas Obscura reminds us, today is the day when we are forced to deal with an ugly question: what if you don’t love the person who has set their eyes on you?
Trust the Victorians to come up with an appropriate response: the vinegar valentine. Also called penny dreadfuls or “comic valentines,” these unwelcome notes were the very anti-spirit of Valentine’s Day.
Vinegar What?
Vinegar valentines were commercially bought postcards that were less beautiful than their love-filled counterparts and contained an insulting poem and illustration. They were sent anonymously, so the receiver had to guess who hated him or her. As if this weren’t bruising enough, the recipient paid the postage on delivery.
Some vinegar valentines were playful or sarcastic and sold as comic valentines to soldiers, but many could hold a sting. One vinegar valentine titled “Old Maid” is more than a little harsh:
’Tis all in vain your simpering looks,
You never can incline,
With all your bustles, stays and curls,
To find a Valentine.
Vinegar and Suffrage
The women’s suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th century brought another class of vinegar valentines, targeting women who fought for the right to vote. It is clear from their context that an interest in women’s rights was an inherent part of one’s distorted personality, depicting such women as preachy or ugly abusers. It isn’t known whether these were sent directly to troll women’s rights activists or if they were sent to like-minded friends who disagreed with the movement.
However, suffragists did have their own pro-women’s rights valentines to pass around on February 14. One threw shade on anti-suffragists with the phrase “no vote, no kiss.” But, in light of the supposed unattractiveness of suffragists according to men, many 19th-century women enticed would-be lovers by sending cards that denied support of the women’s rights cause. One of these cards depicted a pretty woman surrounded by hearts, with a plain appeal:
In these wild days of suffragette drays, I’m sure you’d ne’er overlook a girl who can’t be militant but simply loves to cook.
A Once Booming Business
Valentines and vinegar valentines alike were once a booming business; in 1905 San Francisco, 25,000 valentines were delayed because of overworked clerks. The more surly cards weren’t always welcomed by postmasters, however; another 25,000 valentines were held in a Chicago post office for being unfit to send, due to the many rude and vinegar valentines in the haul.
As adult valentines declined in lieu of expensive dinners or gifts, however, the vinegar valentine became less popular. And while some might mourn the romantic February 14 of the past with its long poems and declarations of love, at least it’s much less likely we’ll get a nasty note in the mail as a Valentine’s surprise!
For the full story and more examples of vinegar valentines, check out Atlas Obscura’s full post.
Scottie said:
Weird how culture changes and what was acceptable at one time becomes unacceptable at others. Hugs
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Hard to believe this was a tradition in some places as late as the 70s!
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Scottie said:
Yes, I tended to think the world in the past was so polite and polished. Wrong I guess. Hugs
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Giovannoni Claudine said:
I guess for me it’s just a “commercial event”… I love to give and receive flowers taken from the Woods or from the meadows, doesn’t matter the day. The thought is what’s counts and the gesture… anyhow happy valentine to everybody :-)c
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
To you too, Giovannoni 🙂
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C thehappymeerkat said:
Wow, some these vinegar valentine’s are really nasty. Weird how dark the Victorian era and after could be!! Though we allow jokes and things today I don’t think we’d tolerate such postcards in today’s world especially not on such a wide scale. Thank you for this post I love learning new things from your history posts. 🙂
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you! I love history, so I’m thrilled that I’m not alone in that 🙂
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C thehappymeerkat said:
Not at all alone! I love history so much! I love to read history books or watch programs when I can 🙂
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Gwen Plano said:
I never heard of Vinegar Valentines before your post, Nicholas. Thank you for the enlightenment – and the hope that indeed change is possible. ♥
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks! Hope you had a lovely one, Gwen 🙂
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hilarycustancegreen said:
Interesting, trolls were out there, just didn’t have such easy routes to their victims.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Their omnipresence was one of my takeaways from all this.
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Michelle Morrison said:
Happy Valentine’s Day a little late. That is really interesting; I can’t imagine wanting to spend time and effort sending someone a vinegar valentine though. Victorian traditions were different to say the least. I think the best thing about Valentine’s Day is the chocolate. 😀
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Yay for chocolate 😀
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marianschiltz said:
Interesting
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks, I thought so too 🙂
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Jane Gealy said:
My local news channel ran a piece on Vinegar Valentine’s last night. Who thought it was a good idea to produce them, and why on earth would you send them? Let’s hope they don’t make a comeback!
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Lol-tell me about it 😀
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