Vinegar Valentines

NH Civil War Gal

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https://emergingcivilwar.com/2019/0...rate-vinegar-valentines-during-the-civil-war/

Vinegars were printed from the middle of the 19thcentury until the middle of the 20th. They were, basically, socially sanctioned snark. They made fun of just about everything, from faint-hearted poetical lads to crazy cat ladies. They poked Civil War surgeons, Secessionists, Zouaves, and flirts. No one was exempt from the barbed humor of the Vinegar.
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No, they were not politically correct by today’s standards. They made fun of “Old Maids,” Suffragettes, the unmarried, people who were considered unattractive, and just about anyone who held an opinion contrary to that of the sender. Some are so awful that I cannot put them in this blog! They were racist, misogynistic, and just plain rude. If there were Civil War snowflakes, they would have melted away rather quickly if sent one of these horrid little missives.
 
Hey, @NH Civil War Gal ! I was just about to post on these. You beat me to it.

Vinegar Valentines could be brutally cruel:
Or pointedly judgmental:
The complete history of this un-lamented phenomenon, as told by the New England Historical Society, can be found in "The Vinegar Valentine that Ruined a Romance"

I just read that link. Wow, those thing were dangerous!
 
Just came across a newspaper article, around 1861 denouncing these Vinegar Valentines- thought I'd pull this thread back up, with THAT day looming.

I can NOT figure out if this is one- if not, what on earth IS it? NYPL.

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Just came across a newspaper article, around 1861 denouncing these Vinegar Valentines- thought I'd pull this thread back up, with THAT day looming.

I can NOT figure out if this is one- if not, what on earth IS it? NYPL.

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I don't get the inscription on the card: ("Allow me my ..[what?].."). But the handsome chap is Happy Hooligan, popular hero of one of the very first daily comic strips. Happy was famous for his Irish good-looks and sartorial sophistication. He also appeared on many Tuck's post cards.
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I think the valentine connection was intended to be more self-deprecating than "vinegar," the sender making fun of his 'funny-looking' self.
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I don't get the inscription on the card: ("Allow me my ..[what?]..").
I think it says 'Allow me - my photograph', so it seems he is sending a pic of himself to his Valentine. And maybe a goofy one at that :biggrin:

I think the valentine connection was intended to be more self-deprecating than "vinegar," the sender making fun of his 'funny-looking' self.
So I think your right about this @John Hartwell .
 
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Here's a little more from a linked article:

"At the age of 19, he enlisted in the Union Army as a private in the 51st Regiment. He served as clerk in the Provost Marshall’s Office under Major Harkness at Beaufort, North Carolina.

Upon returning from the war, Whitney entered into business with his brother Sumner, who owned a wholesale stationary store. Sumner and his wife were also hand-crafting valentines as a sideline. The trauma of the Civil War had led to a surge in sentimentality, and valentines provided the perfect medium to express ones feelings. The industry surged."

 
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