Author: Cushing, Lizzie
Title: Handmade, Pre-CIVIL War, Cobweb Valentine
Description: S. l. (South Port, ie Southport, ME [?]), By the author, 1859. Handmade valentine; 4 3/4 x 3 3/4; single leaf, folded, with the halves glued together; die-cut, rhomboid window in the middle of the top half, with a handcolored illustration of a young couple pasted in it, with a flap over it, in a spiral, cobweb pattern; four fleur-de-lis cutouts pasted to the four corners; a small, hand-drawn and colored heart pasted below the illustration and a cutout engraving of a flower above it; light age-toning and a few minor spots; in very good condition. A charming and elaborate valentine, it was created and signed by one Lizzie Cushing for an unnamed sweetheart in, presumably, the small fishing village of Southport in southern Maine (name barely legible). It was, arguably, inspired and modeled after the cobweb valentines of the 1820s and 1830s, also known as flower cages, bird cages, or beehives. Very good .

Keywords: Valentine, Americana


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