The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-02-14
4 Valentine Factory.

1 missiYcs, "bcautltul as love ana fragrant as
). roses" with which the stationcrs' windows
+ burst into radiance in the depth of winter
t properly speaking ought not to be manufac.
, turcd at all They ought to be the creation
, of some magic wand, or at least should be the
work of fairy hands, and should be imported
from region of moon-lit groves, pale bowers,
pcrfumcd fountains, ana aerial Tyres
| This, however, is not precisely the origin
of valentines.
The inQuisitvc explorer who visits the
premises of IL manufacturer Of these fancy
goods just now, for the purpose of seeing the
process from beginning To end, may perhaps
he conducted, in the first place, into a barely
furnished apartment occupied by five or six
silent individuals who might as reasonably
invoke the inspiration OF Venus as Sophocles
might that of Melpomenc.
These are the artists of the establishment,
and this somewhat cherries apartment is the
founaiu.hcad of pictorial sentiment
i They are not a particularly sentimental
Hooking group, either. 1t is of course impos-
sble to say what silent raptures may be trem.
bling beneath those white blouseS of theirs
but viewed from the outside, these artists have
a decidedly sedatc and matter,of.iact aspect,
and, apart from special inspiration, might be
supposed to have outlivcd the tender passion.
At least one of them has clearly done so, and
is devoting the experience of gray hairs to
the castigation of youthful follies by means
of 1urlesqueS.
He has a sheet of white paper and stick
of charcoal, and is engaged in producing the
rough draught of n very large young lady,
with very small bonnet, "A crinoline and an
intinitcsimal dog.
Another is engaged upon q very clever lit
tie water-color sketch of an amorous subject
while a third has before him similar sketch
which he is lthographing-tha is, drawing
with ink or chalk on a slab of stone, prepare,
tory to its being printed by the photographic
process.
In the next room this printing is being car
ried on Brawny armed mechanics are turn.
| ing out a strange medley of lovers and bowers,
| flowers birds, hearts and arrows, bachelors
and pining spnSters.
Some of the sheets produced at the presses
in this room are now cut up into sections, and
handed over to the superintendent of the val
entine makers. Others have to be embossed
For this purpose the engraving of steel plate
is necessary, and this very often entails Il very
serious expense. 1t is not by any means un.
usual for plate no larger than sheet of
note paper to cost twenty guineas. The parts
of the design to be brought out in relief are
engraved in soft steel, which is then hardened
and thus fitted to sustain weight of several
tons.
In the next aparmentthese plates are being
used. An operative sits in Il hole in the floor,
beside very powerful screw press, worked
by means Of a beam six or aight feet in length,
at the end of which are globu,ar masses of
iron, designed to increase its momentum
The picture to be embossed is laid upon the
steel plate, and placed III the bed beneath the
screw, which is then brought down with
terrible thump. There are several of these
presses at work in this room, one or two be-
ing engaged IN the enclosing of lace paper,
which enters largely into the composition of
valentines
The lace paper, however, as it leaves these
presses, still requires to be perforated, andthe
way in which this is done is curious. The
enclosing plate is fixed upon bench; a
sheet of paper, which has been impressed by
it, is laid upon it and carefully, though eX-
peditiously adjusted and Is then subjected to
a vigorous rasping with large file, wrapped
in sand paper This rubs away every portion
of the paper which is supported bv the pro.
jcctions IN the plate beneath and, of course,
when the sheets turned over, the parts OF the
design which were merely depressions have
become holes.
Specimens of the entire productions of
printers embossers and perfOrators, together
with foreign importations in the shape of rib
bons feathers, shells, and ornaments of va
rious other kinds, are now spread upon q
table, presided over by one or two clever
young women, upon whom devolves the duty
of designing the valentines.
The object they have to am at Is, of course,
the production of the greatest possible variety
of striking and pleasing effects by the combi-
nation of the materials before them, and the
most successful are adopted as patterns for
the other hands.
Nothing, it is said, can be more capricious
or whimsical than the selections of the pub
lie in any matter of taste, and in the case of
valentines this is especialIv observable, Very
frequently the particular designs which the
most experienced of manufacturers would
pronounce to be triumphs of taste and origin
ality prove utter failures in the market, aad
thc greatest hit of a season NAV he some pro-
duction which narrowly ESCAPED going into
the waste-basket.
Only n very rash and ineyDrricnced maker
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