Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-02-19
A Valentine Factory.

a
is somewhat Disseminating. The
dainty, delicate missives, "beautifill
as love and fragrant as roses," with
which the stationers windows burst
into radiance in the depth of winter,
properly speaking, ont not to be manu-
featured 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 a
region of moon,lit groves, pale flow.
ers, perfumed fountains, and aerial
Tyres.
This however, is not precisely. the
origin of valentines.
The inquisitive explorer who visits
the premises of a manufacturer of these
fancy goods just now, for the purpose
of seeing the process from beginning
to end, may perhaps be conducted, in
the first place, into barely furnished
apartment, occupied by five Or six sill
ent individuals, who might as reason
ably invoke the inspiration of Venus
as Sophocles might that of Melpo-
meme.
These are the artists of the estab-
lishment, and this somewhat cheer
less apartment is the fountain head Of
pictorial sentiment.
They are not particularly senti-
mental looking group, either. 1t is of
course impossible to say what silent
raptures may be trembling beneath
those white blouses of theirs; but
viewed fiom the outside, these artists
have a decidedly sedate and matter Of
fact aspect, and, apart from special in
spiration, might be supposed to have
outlived the the tender passion. AT
least one of them clearly has done SO,
and is devotipg,,the experience Of gray
hairs to the castigation of youthful
follies by means of burlesques.
He has sheet of white paper and a
stick Of charcoal, and is engaged in
producing the rough draught of a
very large young lady, with a very
small bonnet, a crinoline, and an in.
tinitesimal dog.
Another is engaged upon a very
clever little water.color sketch of an
amorous subject, while a third h as be-
fore him a similar sketch which he is
lithographing-that is, drawing with
ink or chalk on a slab Of stone, pre-
paratory to its being printed by the
photographic process.
In the next room this printing is
being carried on. Brawny armed
mechanics are turning ont a strange
medley Of lovers and bowers, flowers,
birds hearts, and arrows, bachelors
and pining spinsters.
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 valentine max
ers. Others have 10 be embossed.
For this purpose the engraving of a
steel plate is necessary, and this often
entails very serious expense. 1t is
not by any means unusual for plate,
no longer than a sheet of note paper,
to cost twenty guineas. The parts Of
the design to be brought out in reliet
are ingraved in soft steel, which is
then hardened and thus fitted to sus-
tain pressure of several tons.
In the next apartment these plates
are being used. An operative sits in
a hole in the floor, beside a very pow
erful screw press, worked by means of
a beam six or eight feet in length, at
the end of which are globular masses
of iron, designed to increase its mo-
mentum. The picture to be embossed
is laid upon the steel plate, and placed
in 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 being engaged in the enbossing
of lace-paper, which enters largely in
to the composition of valentines.
The lace paper, however, as it
leave these rtresSes. still reuuires to he