Introduction: In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry searches old newspapers to find pictures of Valentine’s Day celebrations from the past. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.

Today I look back at Valentine’s Day through the years in pictures from GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives.

1929: Buffalo ‘Post Office’ Gives Valentines to Party Goers

The photo caption reads:

Children called at the post office for valentines at the party given Thursday in the College Creche home, Oak and Goodell streets. Left to right: Nita Boyd; Gertrude Bethke, Alice Garcia, Muriel Elliott, Miss Kathleen Henderson, Evelyn Lawon, Anna May Kraus, and Katherine MacDonald.

1930: Valentines Aren’t What They Used to Be – Look at These!

In 1930 the Detroit Times featured a photo of Helen Spayd and Thelma Buckholdt, two members of the ballet at the Michigan Theater, laughing over the new Valentine’s Day card Helen received.

That year, a new trend in valentine cards became widespread across the country. According to the article, traditional romantic motifs such as rhymes with roses, lace, and cupid arrows were replaced by clever phrases and modern imagery.

The article reports:

No longer are “Roses red, violets blue, sugar is sweet and so are you.” Nor does “The moon in the heavens above, reminds me, dear, of our sweet love.”

Instead, a girl with a cocktail shaker describes herself as a whoopee maker. And a big-eyed babe with a mandolin, urges us on to deep red sin. Such words as “loving” and “necking” and “hot,” “it” and “make” and other rot are substituted for sugary phrases that adequately did sing the praises of some sweet damsel. “Oh, ecstasy!” where is the girl who we long to see.

…The attitude of these valentines is a “come and git me” sort of a line. Skinny girls with a shrug in their shoulder, and a look in their eyes so much bolder than the girls we knew in the good old days, with their winning words and winsome ways.

Not everyone wanted the modern-style valentine greeting in 1930. This New York newspaper reports that some of the oldies were still popular:

Here are some of the samples of the old valentines which are now in demand. They were considered pretty funny and sometimes pretty fresh in the days when the balloon sleeve was the vogue, but they’re disappearing, although a demand for them still exists.

1944: Her Heart’s on Her Sleeve & She Looks like A Valentine

Pictured below is (left) Frances Irvine and (right) Dorothy Main.

The photo caption for Frances reads:

HER HEART’S ON HER SLEEVE, literally, although the heart in this case is a box of Valentine’s Day candy. Posing with the candy is Yeoman Frances Irvine of Ventura, Calif., stationed at the SPAR recruiting office here. She’ll probably get a box just like this from her husband, Lieut. Charles Irvine, who is with the army air force at Romulus, Mich.

The photo caption for Dorothy reads:

SHE LOOKS LIKE A VALENTINE, this pretty nurse at Mare Island Naval Hospital in California where Uncle Sam is conducting a great rehabilitation experiment. There, sailors and marines who have lost limbs in Pacific combat areas – the total for this war is 100 men – are being put back on their feet, literally, some within five weeks after their limbs have been amputated. They learn that quickly to walk on new plastic limbs. The nurse is Ensign Dorothy Main.

1945: New Orleans Valentine Victims of Love

The photo caption reads:

VALENTINE VICTIMS – Not a bit dampened by the rain here today, Irwin J. Massonnier, yeoman first class, 2656 Lepage Street, and Jean Shaw, yeoman second class, of Columbia City, Ind., find time to look out from Eighth Naval District headquarters for Cupid’s arrival February 14, St. Valentine’s Day.

1953: Three Valentines – One Is for Real (In Name That Is)

The photo caption reads:

Three seven-year-olds at Jefferson Davis School hope to win their sweethearts with a “movie” valentine of the “Cookie Valentine Family.” Though Feb 14 comes but once a year, every day is Valentine Day for the blond first grader on the left, for her name is Vicki Valentine. Her two classmates are Paul Raith and Ricki Kalies, right.

1953: St. Valentine’s Day Has Same Meaning at Any Age

A South Carolina newspaper caught up with valentines of all ages and sizes. These feature photos reveal Cupid never discriminates against age.

(Top left): Miss Jean Aldous, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Aldous of Naval Base, and Mr. Jack Thomas, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Gorman Thomas of Riverland Terrace, believe that spring can exist at any season. Both will be graduated in June from the College of Charleston.

(Top right): Dr. and Mrs. Fitzhugh N. Hamrick are among the persons caught by Don Cupid since Valentine’s Day last year. The recently married young couple lives at Moss Meadows.

(Bottom left): Jefery James, son of Mr. and Mrs. D. W. James of 6-B Durant Ave. in North Charlston, and Joanne Trotter, foster daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Bell of Jasper Street in North Charlston, experience their first admiration [at] Bell’s Day Nursery, Jasper Street.

(Botton right): Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Barnett, who live on Stono Road in Riverland Terrace, prove to all that love grows deeper with each passing Valentine’s Day.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

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Note on the header image: Happy Valentine’s Day. Credit: https://depositphotos.com/home.html