Be Mine: The World of Victorian Valentines

Who doesn't like to get a valentine -- perhaps even from a mysterious admirer? 

The practice of sending valentines goes back centuries, and these well-designed romantic messages could have many meanings -- highly spiritual, an expression of friendship and love, or even a proposal of marriage.  

In this episode Carl is joined by historian and collector Nancy Rosin whose own collection of over 12,000 valentines from the past 400 years has recently been archived at the Huntington Library. 

Nancy takes us back to the early Roman days, through the MIddle Ages and into the "golden age" of valentines in the early 19th century and, at last, into the extravagant Gilded Age.  

Nancy  shares some of the most significant examples from her collection and leads us into very personal worlds of beauty and love from the 17th century to our modern day.   

Visit the Gilded Gentleman website for more information

This episode was edited by Kieran Gannon