Valentine card: P.14418-R-5

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Valentine card

Maker(s)

Entities

Valentine card

Description

A comic valentine which employs a visual pun. White lace-paper with a pair of woven tweed trousers (dark brown with red thread) with gold metal foil studs mounted at the centre. A motto in two parts written in blue ink at upper centre and underneath the top of the trousers: 'Something / I hope you'll / never wear / Breaches of Promise'. The 'a' in 'Breaches' is underlined, highlighting the punning relationship between 'breeches' and 'breach'. 'DOBBS & CO.' stamped at lower centre. The front paper is adhered to the back. A hand-written inscription in graphite on the album leaf above: '1861'. The date may have been transcribed from the verso prior to mounting. The hand is unknown but is seen elsewhere in album P.14418-R. P.14412-R-101 is another version of this card by Henry Dobbs found in album P.14412-R, which employs the alternative spelling: 'Breeches of Promise' and features trousers made of a different material. The valentines collection at the Museum of London contains three examples of this design by Dobbs with the trousers made of various materials, all with the motto spelling, 'Breeches of Promise'. See 34.170/196; 34.170/197 and 34.170/35.