Down an aisle at my local supermarket, somewhere between the hot cross buns and bunny shaped chocolates, sits a curated selection of Valentine’s Day cards. With loud declarations, generic cute animals and overflowing hearts the common themes, shoppers must choose whether their love is “ONE-IN-A-MILLION” or “PURR-FECT”. For those searching for a personalised sentiment in-between, historical love tokens may just be the key.
The introduction of the printed Valentine’s card in late-1700s Britain (and later, America) surprisingly caused a wave of 18th and 19th century romantics to craft their own love notes from scratch. Lovestruck and lovesick gentlefolk and commoners alike employed complex techniques such as paper cutting and pop-out 3D elements to create a lasting impression on their Valentines. Among these tokens was the puzzle purse - an intricately folded, self-closing paper package decorated with prose, verse and illustrations. Only a few examples of these remain in museum archives, auction houses and private collections across Britain and America.
Harvard University’s Houghton Library houses a late 18th-century puzzle purse, written by an unknown gentleman with the initials “E.W”. Following a failed marriage proposal, the sender begins with a plea for the recipient to reconsider. He laments:
“Thou art / the Girl and only Maid / That hath my Tender / Heart Betray’d.”
“If you refuse / to be my wife / You will betray me / of my Life.”
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| The reverse side of an 18th-century puzzle purse | Harvard University, Houghton Library, hyde_ms_am_3030_recto |
While some of the verses draw commonalities with other preserved love tokens, our gentleman has at least gone to the effort of decorating each line with a relevant illustration. The first layer of decoration features a red heart, that upon unfolding the purse, is torn apart. The inner layer reveals requests for light from the sun, moon and stars to shine on his love and his beloved. At the centre, our romantic, despite the unrequited love, wishes his crush well. Flanked by angel wings, he writes:
Shortly after the university acquired the token over 10 years ago, John Overholt, Curator at Houghton Library, shared the significance of the piece in a blog post. “As a curator I’m fascinated by an object that provides such an intimate and charming glimpse into the lives and loves of everyday people,” he said. “It’s a piece of history we can all relate to, even if the making of love tokens has been replaced by the making of Facebook posts today.”
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| The front of an 18th-century puzzle purse | Harvard University, Houghton Library, hyde_ms_am_3030_verso |
Nancy Rosin, a historian and prolific collector of Valentine’s ephemera, echoes Overholt’s views. In an ARTnews article published in 2023, Rosin talks about her collection of over 12,000 historical Valentines, ranging from handmade items to early commercial cards. “Ephemera represents receipts and all kinds of little things that probably should have been tossed,” says Rosin. “Thankfully, they weren’t all tossed because sometimes they’re the missing parts to a story that someone is assembling in a special collection.”
Just like our counterparts from 200 years ago that benefited from Valentine writers, online video tutorials published on social media in recent years have helped guide keen modern-day romantics. Artists, such as the Melbourne-based Rachel Russell, have demonstrated how to craft unique 18th and 19th century inspired love tokens. With classical music playing in the background, Russell confidently brings her audience through each step, turning a blank square sheet of paper into an ornate puzzle purse for her partner.
With over 450,000 likes on Instagram, Russell’s tutorial is part of an ever-growing trend focusing on hand-crafting objects as a way to combat rampant consumerism and automation. In an era when people turn to AI assistants for “fast, free, answers” on everything from dating to composing poetry, sending and receiving handmade goods takes on extra significance. It’s a practice in time-honoured traditions, patience and original expression that can speak volumes compared to any AI slop.
While it is unlikely that our love notes will be preserved for centuries to come, they may be held by our loved ones as a treasured keepsake. Rather than hurriedly perusing the supermarket shelves for a fitting card, or asking AI to generate one, why not make your own this Valentine’s Day? It may not be perfect, but I guarantee that it will be one-in-a-million.
Links
- Learn how to craft your own puzzle purse by following Australian artist Rachel Russell's instructions here