{"id":6191,"date":"2014-02-13T16:31:44","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T16:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=6191"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:58:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T16:58:48","slug":"valentines-day-history-a-look-back-at-old-love-poems-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/valentines-day-history-a-look-back-at-old-love-poems-more.html","title":{"rendered":"Valentine\u2019s Day History: A Look Back at Old Love Poems & More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak searches through old newspapers to find valentine poems and other romantic messages from Valentine\u2019s Day celebrations of the past. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>
Illustration: \u201cTo My Valentine,\u201d 1890. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
http:\/\/www.loc.gov\/pictures\/item\/2010645777\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ask any child if they know a valentine poem, and they\u2019re likely to recite this couplet:<\/p>\n

Roses are red,
\nViolets are blue.
\nSugar is sweet,
\nAnd so are you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Love Poem History in Newspapers<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you research early newspapers, such as the online collection in GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, you\u2019ll discover quaint \u201cRoses are red\u201d valentine traditions\u2014along with many variations on the theme. Many of these old love poems have delighted children and amorous suitors for a very long time.<\/p>\n

One of the earliest \u201cRoses are red\u201d newspaper references was in this 1874 review of Fantoccini<\/em>, a book fashioned after a puppet show by the same name.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>
Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 1 September 1874, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roses Are Red Alice<\/strong><\/p>\n

The author of this newspaper article panned Fantoccini<\/em> for mimicking the \u201cAlice\u201d books, and criticized this version of \u201cRoses are red\u201d as an example of how \u201cany number of well-meaning idiots have been moved to think that they could do as well\u201d as the Alice in Wonderland<\/em> books.<\/p>\n

Roses are red
\nDiddle, diddle,
\nViolets are blue;
\nYou love not me,
\nDiddle, diddle,
\nThough I love you.
\nCould them three flowers
\nDiddle, diddle,
\nAlter their dyes,
\nThen might we love
\nDiddle, diddle,
\nContrariwise.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Turn of the 19th Century Valentine\u2019s Day Trends<\/strong><\/p>\n

An 1899 Valentine\u2019s Day trend was to send a valentine with a small object attached. One such Valentine\u2019s Day card had an artificial violet and featured this poem:<\/p>\n

Roses are red, violets are blue;
\nSugar is sweet and so are you.
\nSo please accept this small bouquet
\nThat I have picked for you today.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"article<\/a>
Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 11 February 1899, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As cards became commercialized, shop clerks often assisted shoppers in their frantic searches for the perfect valentine card. These clerks were often amused at the suitors\u2019 choices, as not everyone chose wisely!<\/p>\n

In 1907, a sentimental young man purchased a valentine with this plea:<\/p>\n

Come rest in my bosom my own stricken deer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hope his love interest fell for that line, although he might have been better off with this fashionable seller of the day:<\/p>\n

The light that lies in woman\u2019s eyes has been my heart\u2019s undoing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As this article notes, the old favorite was also offered on 1907 cards:<\/p>\n

Roses are red,
\nViolets are blue;
\nSugar is sweet,
\nAnd so are you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"article<\/a>
Omaha World Herald (Omaha, Nebraska), 14 February 1907, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anonymous Valentine Admirers <\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you ever sent or received an anonymous Valentine\u2019s Day card?<\/p>\n

In 1909, valentines overwhelmed the mail carriers, but \u201ccupids\u201d were also prone to depositing a card at a young woman\u2019s door, ringing the bell and then fleeing off into the darkness before being discovered.<\/p>\n

\"Valentines--Yes,<\/a>
Evansville Courier and Press (Evansville, Indiana), 14 February 1909, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Valentine Telegrams <\/strong><\/p>\n

There once were even valentine telegrams\u2014certainly a relic of the past to any of today\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n

Western Union used to offer suggestions as to what to write. Many valentine poems and sayings reflected the era they were written in, such as these hipster valentine telegrams from 1954. These messages were always printed in upper case, as that was the only typeface option available for telegrams:<\/p>\n