Ribbons, Laces and Frills have been associated with romance since the days of knighthood when a knight rode into battle with a ribbon or scarf given him by his lady fair. The dictionary states that the word lace comes from a Latin word meaning to snare or noose.
Cupid was one of the gods of mythology. In Latin, the word Cupid means desire. Cupid is typically represented as a chubby, naked, winged boy or youth with a mischievous smile. He possessed a bow with a quiver of arrows by which he transfixed the hearts of youths an and maidens. Cherubs are descendants of Cupid. They are depicted as lovable little winged creatures without arrows and quivers. Cherubs were typically not mischievous like Cupid.
The Rose is undoubtedly the most popular flower in the world,
speaks of love and has been the choice of lovers in every century. If you rearrange the letters of the word rose you get Eros, the god of Love.
Hands - lady's hand is a favorite decoration that depicted
femininity. Its beauty was enhanced by adding a frilly cuff and a jeweled ring on the third finger. Clasped hands represent those of Queen Victoria and prince Albert and were symbols of the friendship between their countries of Germany and England.
Turtle Doves and Love Birds - It was thought that birds chose
their mate for the year on February 14. Doves and pigeons mate for life and therefore were used as a symbol of fidelity.
Pizza is a sort of homemade valentine puzzle that the receiver
had to solve. Not only did she have to decipher the message but also to figure how to refold the paper once it was opened. The order of the verses was usually numbered, and the recipient had to twist the folds to determine what was being said.
Daguerreotype became popular in 1840s. An old-time tintype
was found in the center of a card surrounded by an ornamented wreath. Anothertype was a Mirror Valentine which had a small mirror
placed in the center to reflect the happy face of the receiver. Rebus - although it had many forms, a rebus usually was a romantic
verse written in ink with certain words omitted and illustrated with a picture. Meant to be a riddle, they were not always easy to solve.
The pink almond tree - a pink almond tree at Saint Valentine's grave burst into bloom at his death as a symbol of everlasting love. Watch Papers were popular when men carried pocket watches,
these were made to fit the back or front of a pocket watch.