- Joined
- Nov 26, 2016
- Location
- central NC
Antique sailor's valentine, ca. 1870. (Wikimedia Commons)
This sailor's valentine was made ca. 1875 and is the collection at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA. (Wikimedia Commons)
Theses valentines were (and in fact still are) made by gluing hundreds of shells onto cotton batting and framing the work with octagonal cases of wood and glass. Either as single panels or hinged pairs, they’re usually no larger than 18 inches across, and less than two inches deep. The designs incorporate hearts, flowers, and nautical symbols such as anchors or compass roses. Some also bear a message spelled out in tiny shells.
While the size (but not the shape) of the boxes varies, an artist needs on average dozens of different types of shells, and at least a couple hundred of each, to make a substantial design. A typical valentine can take hundreds of hours to complete.