The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-14
CITY NTmLLE GEN q q.
VALENTINES DAY.
rhe Observance Of the Day-Tho Trade In


The Observance Ss,sss,ue. Ss .ss psy-1ho Trade In
The recurrence to-day of the yearly festival
of st. Valentine brings with it the annual deluge
of printed pictorial matter now displayed In
store windows In every variety. The printed
valentine as we now have it is about one hun
dred and forty years old. This, however is only
the real valentine of the sentimental kind. Inc
comic variety is of much later date, and De-
sides is pre-eminently Yankee invention.
Previous to the time of the printed valentine
the day was observed by<he giving Oh nanu,
some valentines in the shape oil substantial
presents which lover gave to mistress or man
to wife.
sending loving or other misslves Is not SO gene
raj now as formerly, yet the trade in the article
is considerable and 1t is said by valentine deal
ers of the present time that nearly as many
valentines are sent taking the whole country
into account, as ever. The wholesale trade of
the whole country is said to reach half million
dollars year. The business is mostly in the
hands of seven or eight firms, two of which are
in Worcester, Mass and one in Philadelphia.
These manufactures receive orders from all
parts of the Union, the Western States buying
more than the East. A dealer in valentines
says that twenty millions of the 'comic" variety
are sold in the United States every year, and a
New FORK retail dealer sold fifty gross in less
than week last February. The business is
carried on by stationers and publishers who are
glad to avail themselves of this folly to fill up
the dull season after the holidays. The
flowers, cupids and hearts and quivers are i'm
ported from England and Germany and worked
up here by girls, sometimes thirty or forty being
employed by one firm. The stock caricatures
of the comic variety are reproduced from the
same blocks year after year. while every fashion
able vagary that affords material for a ''hlt" is
seized upon for variety. These daubs are made
at so trifing cost that the manufacturers and
retailers make their profits when they are sold
for a penny. AS Insignificant as valentines
seem, they furnish employment to hundreds OF
people for portion of the year. and are in their
way basis of commerce.
This year the new comic subjects appear to
deal mostly with Fenians politicians and
womens rights. Of course the caricatures OF
the various professions are hardly compliment
ary, though they are not wanting in q certain
force and vigor We are pleased to say, from
careful observation, that anything improper is
carefully avoided. First-class houses in this
special line print their names on their produc-
tions, SO that in case Pat, who cannot read,
purchases from vender equally illterate. who
knows the house he buys his stock from, he can
feel assured that in his bit of fun there is nothing
that can shock the most fastidious of Biddies
We look over at random gross of pictures, and
find fast young men and do. do. ladies. Heart
breakers (male and female) quacks, milliners
aristocrats, furriners, penny a-liners, bar
blowers mischief makers, termagants, dentists
junkmen, and Mr. Poke-your-nose-in-o other
peoples business, etc. etc. If we struck with
the designs, we can't say as much tor the color,
Wnlcn ls put on ratner crudely. VI course tney
all have their four or six lines of doggerel,
The increase of duty for the Post Office Off.
cials on the 14th of February is considerable
even in this city. In New York last year %, ,00(
mail letters and 10, 900 city letters in excess
the regular quantity were distributed durins
Valentine week, but this year it is thought tina
something like 500,0 600 can safely be counted on
The recipients are mostly the servants of th'
various households, Bridget coming in for by
far the largest share, though houses having
pretty chambermaidst herein are besieged by tn,
pOstman.