Historical Valentines

In the mid-19th century, cobweb or bee-hive valentines were sometimes delivered on Valentine’s Day. They had a picture, often flowers or a picturesque scene, with a string in the center. When the string was pulled the top picture revealed a second picture underneath, visible through cuts in the top layer with the stretched paper having the appearance of a cobweb. The woven heart in hand was another “token of love” exchanged. During this virtual workshop we’ll construct a model of both of these historic valentines. Participants can make more personalized valentines to send for Valentine’s Day or incorporate these techniques in their artwork after class.