Heart to heart — Tradition of sending valentines has evolved throughout the years

As ill-balanced an arrangement

As I did ever scan:

You are like a little tea-pot

With a great enormous spout,

Or a furnace small, with chimney vast

To let the smoke pass out.

Another featured a caricature of a woman applying makeup. It said:

Exterior Decorator

You paint and powder all day long.

It's really a disgrace —

Nobody'd know you, we are sure,

If you ever washed your face.

These valentines were usually sent anonymously — at least if you knew what was good for you, says Anderson.

Not everyone approved of Vinegar Valentines. An undated editorial in the Juvenile Instructor, a magazine for youths produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1866 and 1929, noted: "The 14th of February, commonly known as St. Valentine's Day, is near at hand, and the young people are already saving up their nickels for the purchase of valentines. In this regard we desire to suggest to the readers of the JUVENILE not to send the disgusting caricatures, which are so numerous at this season of the year, to anyone whose feelings will thereby be injured. Such acts, while done only 'for fun,' afford no solid enjoyment to the sender and may cause unpleasant feelings on the part of the receivers of such missives. And everything which is likely to wound the feelings of others should be strictly avoided by the youth of this people."

Even after commercial valentines became available, handmade cards were still popular. An unsigned account in the files at the DUP museum talks of making early valentines in Utah:

"The 'boughten' or 'store' Valentine was indeed a rare treat and luxury, and those receiving them were considered very lucky indeed, even in my day.

"For the homemade valentines, anything decorative that could be found was used, and if small pictures of any sort could be obtained, the owners of them were considered very lucky, indeed, as they were always used on the valentines.

"Then, too, the verse which was written on the valentines was very important and impressive, expressing the love of the sender to the one receiving it. As a sample I will give this verse, 'Roses red, Violets blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you.' With sometimes the addition of the following lines: 'So is the one who sends you this, And when we meet, we will have a kiss."'