The COMET changed to a VALENTINE, for the 14th of February: P.14348-R-1

Current Location: In storage

Titles

The COMET changed to a VALENTINE, for the 14th of February

Maker(s)

Printmaker: Unknown

Entities

Valentine card

Description

Valentine card of cream laid paper, roughly 8vo size with a lithograph of black ink (uncoloured) titled at upper centre in an arching design: "The COMET changed to a VALENTINE, for the 14th of February." Below, an embracing couple wrapped in flower garlands made by Venus (who sits in the clouds above) is attended by cupid who flies in from the right carrying two flaming hearts and with his bow and quiver of arrows. The couple are caught in the rays from a star (comet) in the sky at upper right. A second winged figure (presumably Hymen) carrying a flaming torch moves towards a church seen in the distance on the right. A verse is printed below: "Cupid by the Comet's blaze / Sets Lovers hearts on fire. / Hymen leads them to the Church / and makes their bliss entire; / Venus Goddess of sweet Love / In beauty bright does shine, / She with Cupid makes the charm / To bless each Valentine." A border of tied corn stems arching upwards encloses the verse and the lower half of the image. The inside pages are blank. The Museum of London holds two of these cards (See 34.170/60 and 34.170/796) and according to their records, the design was inspired by the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835 (on 16th November) and originally published by James Kendrew of York around that date. Their cards and presumably the Fitzwilliam example also, are later reprints of the original which were probably published by Andrew Tuer of the Leadenhall Press. They date their examples as 1860-1880. One of a series of cards on cream laid paper with uncoloured lithographs, apparently all later reprints, mounted in album P.14348-R. The Museum of London example is also reproduced in Frank Staff, _The Valentine & Its Origins_ (1969), no. 51, p.50. See also Staff's explanation of the reprints made by Andrew Tuer, pp. 54-5.