Culture - Polish, Poland

Can I be your Valentine? ~ I hope you will accept, This big red heart o'mine; And I'd be mighty proud, If you'd be my Valentine.

3 7/8" x 4 1/4" (3 7/8" x 7 5/8" opened)
circa 1920s, 1930s
Single Fold
made in USA 

Part of a series with an international theme

From the clothing this appears to be a pair from Poland, making this a more unusual culturally themed card. References to Irish or Dutch culture are much more common as are the often insulting and/or culturally insensitive cards portraying Native Americans and African Americans. 

Culture - Turkey, Middle East

To My Valentine ~ If I've even a chance with you, Just try what a tender glance will do.

3 7/8" x 4 1/4" (3 7/8" x 7 5/8" opened)
circa 1920s, 1930s
Single Fold
made in USA
Part of a series featuring figures in various international traditional costumes

Card features figures in Middle Eastern garb, including a fez. The hat is generally associated with the Ottoman Empire and Turkey although it was worn in several countries such as Morocco, too. The hat has enjoyed some mystique in the USA. Several American fraternal organizations such as the Shriners,  Masons and many others adapted the hat for their own use. Figures from Middle Eastern cultures are very rarely pictured on valentines

Sweet Salvation Sister - Rare Salvation Army Themed Valentine Card

Follow Me My Valentine- Won't you come and join me? It's easily understood, I'm a sweet Salvation Sister, and I want to do you good! - Song ~ Beauty draws us with a single hair! - Pope

2 7/8" x 5" (5" x 5 3/4" opened)
circa 1880s, 1890s
Fold-Out

This card has an unusual theme referring to the Salvation Army and the women in black often carrying tambourines who held marches to advocate for purity, temperance and to evangelize. The Salvation Army began in 1865, making this rather early in its history.

Mud

I'm MUD about you Valentine

unusual card featuring a mud puddle
circa 1950s/1960s
Flat

Maker - Gibson Art Company, Gibson Greeting Cards

To My Valentine ~ These flowers will brightly Bloom for Thee And birdie's sing In every tree If you will be My Pansy Sweet Valentine.

2 7/8" x 5 3/4" (5 3/4" x 5 5/8" opened)
circa 1890s, 1900s
Single Fold
marked: The Gibson Art Company
Made in Germany

Gibson begun as 'Gibson and Co' in 1850 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was started by a group of 4 brothers: Stephen, Robert, George and Samuel Gibson. They began as printers of stocks, stationary, bonds, etc on a French-made lithographic press. In the 1860s and 1870s they expanded to include the marketing of items made by others, such as the Currier and Ives chromolithographic prints that were very popular at the time. It was via this relationship with other printers that Gibson gets some credit for the first line of American mass produced Christmas cards. The cards were in fact the work of Boston-based printer Louis Prang. It may have been their great success at selling Prang's cards combined with Prang's retirement in the 1890s that inspired them to begin printing their own.

To My Valentine ~ I ain't good looking but, I iss cute, vot?

4" x 2 1/2"
circa 1890s, 1900s
Flat
by Bernhardt Wall 
for Gibson and Co/Gibson Art Co

Most sources put it around around 1908 or 1909 that Gibson begun working with artists and writers to create their own greeting cards (although our Bernhardt Wall card seen above carries an older version of their logo suggesting the association may possibly have begun earlier). Interestingly, I have found several sources around the internet that give this same time period, around 1908, as the founding of the Gibson company, which is incorrect.  The company was then almost 60 years old.

By the time of this change, Robert, who had become the sole owner after buying out his brothers in 1883, had passed on. His will directed that the company be incorporated as 'Gibson Art Company' and split into equal shares for his children. However, while he died in 1885, the incorporation with the name change did not happen until 1895. The company could possibly have been using 'Gibson Art Co' on their cards during that decade between Robert's death and incorporation, or could have been using the original 'Gibson and Co.' Or perhaps the G. A. Co logo (see above) was used during this time? This is unclear. I have not come across enough Gibson cards of this period to help elucidate this question. I would love to hear from any Gibson collectors who have any input on this somewhat confusing era of the company history and how cards were marked during that time.

A Valentine for You ~St. Valentine's greetings with Best Wishes.

2 5/8" x 3 1/2" (3 1/2" x 5 1/4" opened)
circa 1910s, 1920s
Single Fold

for Gibson Art Co
with Gibson Lines logo

Seen above is a card taking advantage of the popularity of Rose O'Neill's Kewpie characters. Gibson sold many cards with official O'Neill Kewpies, many of them signed by her, as well as several with look a-likes such as this.

Over the years, Gibson worked with a great number of artists, some more well known than others. They expanded into gift wrap and other gift shop items and pursued licensing deals with a variety of other companies including Walt Disney Studios. Early on, they took Rose O'Neill's Kewpie characters to a wide audience, having great sales success with them. And also great sales success with cards mimicking her characters.  Some of the cards with similar characters are marked as "after Rose O'Neill" others, like the one above, do not acknowledge O'Neill's influence. O'Neill's own work for Gibson appears to usually (always?) be signed. 

Gibson popularized the French fold cards invented by Rust Craft. The company excelled at recognizing trends and streamlining sales processes, growing to become the third largest American greeting card company behind only Hallmark and American Greetings. They hold patents on certain merchandising displays and created an automatic ordering system for merchants to identify and keep the most popular cards in stock more easily. This merchandising prowess kept Gibson humming year after year.

I thought that in theft, dear You'd never take part But I have to arrest you For stealing my heart.

3 1/2" x 4 3/4"
circa 1910s, 1920s
Flat
Marked: Gibsons
No. 3037

In 1960, the company altered its name once again, now becoming 'Gibson Greeting Cards, Inc.' They then moved on to 'Gibson Greetings, Inc' in 1983 and kept that name until their purchase in 2000 by American Greetings. During the time in which they operated as Gibson Art Co (1895 - 1960), we can find other logos such as the Gibsons with number seen above. These probably provide clues to the dates of the cards, but as of yet I cannot say I have figured out the "code". Old Gibson cards with dates written on them by the customers who purchased them and the logos that appear on these dated  cards can help make this clearer. As mentioned above, If you have such a card or cards we would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment (comments are moderated - oh the spam we have seen - we've even saved our favorite spam, though not posted it, as sometimes they can be comedy gold! - but we get to comments pretty quickly so don't be discouraged by not seeing your comment post right away).

Hello, Valentine! No funny kind of poetry, No gushy, mushy verse! Gol darn it, Be My Valentine ~ You could do plenty worse!

4 5/8" x 3 1/4" (4 5/8" x 6 1/2" opened)
circa 1950s
  French Fold
 made in USA
by Gibson
 A Gibson Guy Card
 marked: 5V8510

We have many more Gibson cards in our other categories. Enter 'Gibson' in the search box in the upper left to see them all.

A Valentine to You From Me ~ Who likes you Lots? Well, you will know If you just read the name below.

2 3/4" x 5 5/8" (5 5/8" x 5 3/8" opened)
circa 1950s, 1960s
French Fold
by Gibson
made in USA 

A Valentine Hint Maybe if you were a lil' more forward.. I'd be a little less backward.

5" x 4 1/8" (5" x 7" opened)
circa 1950s 
Modified French Fold
 by Gibson
 made in USA
marked: 10V84032

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Artists Known to have Worked for Gibson:

• Bernhardt Wall
• Rose O'Neill
• Mildred Snarr Cavagnaro
• Ruth Laird Pistor
• M. Dulk
• C.S. Byrnes
• J G Scott
• Helen Steiner Rice (poet, not a visual artist)

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Sources:

The Romance of Greeting Cards (1956 revised edition) by Ernest Dudley Chase 
Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Postcard by Pamela Apkarian-Russell
The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky edited by Paul A. Tenkotte, James C. Claypool
A Token of My Affection: Greeting Cards and American Business Culture by Barry Shank
Funding Universe.com/Gibson Greetings, Inc history

Fairy Tale Love - Valentine Faeries

To You, My Love, I bring my heart, And do it very gladly; It's up to ou to do your part, Because I love you madly.

5" x 5 3/8"
circa 1920s, 1930s
Flat
Easel Stand on back
 marked: Made in U. S. Am.
 no maker's mark, but presumed to be by Beistle

To My Valentine.

4 7/8" x 4"
circa 1930s
Mechanical Flat
One wing and Heart move

Dear Valentine Let's Fly Away and Play All Day We'll have Lots of Fun --- What D'ya say?

7" x 2 3/4"
circa 1950s, 1960s
Folding Stand-Up
marked: Made in U. S. A. 4/5
by Doubl-Glo

Artist - Bonte: Marie Louise Quarles and George Willard Bonte

I'm Yo' Valentine

6 3/4" x 4 1/2"
circa 1890s - 1910s
Standing Flat with 3-D Feature
moving eyes are suspended on string
Signed Bonte
printed by Ernest Nister
E P Dutton and Co.
Printed in Bavaria
marked: No. 1889

It is unusual for one of the cards published by Nister to retain the artists mark as this card does. Nister was a lithographer based in Nuremburg, Germany with offices also in London, England. E. P. Dutton was the exclusive agent for Nister in the USA.

Marie Louise Quarles Bonte and George Willard Bonte are probably best known for their book ABC in Dixie - A Plantation Alphabet, published in 1904 by Ernest Nister. Book News - An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Books, Vol 23, September 1904 - August 1905 (p 236) described it as "An alphabet of exaggerated negro pictures in garish color, printed in Germany, giving closely the German view of negro aspect." Nister produced a postcard series based on the book. Be careful in purchasing those as there is a reproduction of the series as well as the Nister originals. The book is quite difficult to find completely intact. Its scarcity and shocking nature to today's sensibilities make any full copies something of great interest and therefore of some value, to a variety of collectors.  The Nister card shown above features a character quite similar to those seen in this particular book.

George also did a 1905 calendar (another work published by Nister) called The Coon Calendar for 1905. In an ad for Dutton's calendars in The Churchman, Volume 90 of Dec 3rd, 1904 The Coon Calendar is described as:  "Thirteen pages of humorous negro types by Willard Bonte. One of the best and most humorous ideas of the year." 

Willard Bonte did other solo work including 1904's Fun and Nonsense, which featured anthropomorphic characters. He is credited with both the illustrations and the writing for it. He did other such personified characters for Raphael Tuck. An image from his book Sandman Rhymes (also from 1904 - quite an industrious year for Bonte) makes an appearance in Tuck's Coupling Pin post card series from the 1920s.  

Bonte was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 16th, 1873. By 1899, he was an artist on the staff of Outing Magazine. He was by this time living in New York, New York. Bonte dabbled in political cartooning, including an image with poem in the Lexington Herald of May 1916, regarding German U-boats in support of the US entering WWI. Much of his time was undoubtedly consumed by his role as Art Director of the New York Herald from 1906 - 1920. He died March 3, 1946 after seeing the world emerge from yet another massive war.

 To Greet me Valentine

4 7/8" x 3 1/8"
circa 1900s - 1910s
Flat with Easel Stand
Signed  'B' 

printed by Raphael Tuck
Artist Series
Marked: Publishers to Their Majesties
I have not yet confirmed that this is by Bonte, but strongly suspect that it is. 

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Sources:

American Ancestry: Giving Name and Descent in the Male line of Americans whose Ancestors Settled in the United States Previous to the Declaration of Independence, AD 1776, Vol 12 (1899), edited by Thomas Patrick Hughes, et al

Taking the Town: Collegiate and Community Culture in the Bluegrass, 1880-1917, by Kolan Thomas Morelock

Artist - Ruth E. Newton

Get My Signal I Love You.

7 3/4" x 3 3/4"
dated 1923
Mechanical Flat
marked: Made in U. S. A.

Campbell Art Co, Elizabeth NJ

Designed by Ruth E. Newton and Elizabeth Manley

Slightly Different Version below

I'm Wig-Wagging "I Love You" to my Valentine.

6" x 4 3/4"
circa 1920s, 1930s
Mechanical Flat
marked: Made in U. S. Am.

Ruth Eleanor Newton was born in 1884 in Erie, Pennsylvania to Lynn and Agnes Elliot Newton. Her father Lynn was a factory clerk and the family included brother Gilbert and sister Agnes Belle Newton. She studied art in Philadelphia where she won an illustration contest in 1906 which lead to her first published images (The Old Schloss, written by Margaret L. Corlies). She worked in Boston, then eventually moved on to New York City where she kept a studio in the Greenwich Village area for the next 38 years.

Oh look who's in my heart! My Valentine

3 1/4" x 6"
circa 1930s/1940s
mechanical
made in USA
by Ruth E. Newton

In the 1940s Newton added designing dolls to her artistic endeavours. Her most well known doll was Amosandra created in 1949 for the Sun Rubber Company as a tie-in for The Amos and Andy Show. She designed many other dolls for Sun, giving fans the opportunity to amass quite large, impressive collections without a repeated doll. She also did drawings for famed doll creator Bernard Lipfert to then sculpt into dolls, according to Lipfert's granddaughter. 

To My Valentine.

2 5/8" x 3 1/2"
circa 1920s, 1930s
Mechanical Flat
marked: Made in U. S. Am.

While her book illustrations for companies like Whitman sometimes featured her signature by her images, her valentines are usually unmarked. The exception is her work for Campbell Art Co. Many (most? all?) of her works for this company are marked as being her's (along with Elizabeth Manley), but it would be an assumption to think they all are necessarily so marked. I can find no other references to an artist named Elizabeth Manley other than mentions of her in conjunction with Newton (including no biographical information at all). Some Rust Craft cards were also sometimes marked as "designed by Newton-Manley." Rust Craft purchased Campbell Art Co in 1924. I'm unsure if they kept up the Campbell brand for any length of time after the acquisition or if this means that all cards marked with the Campbell Art Co name date to 1924 and prior.

My Heart is Beating for You My Valentine

3 1/4" x 6"
circa 1920s, 1930s
Mechanical Flat
marked: Made in U.S.Am.
By Ruth E Newton

Newton also collaborated with Mabel Horn (aka Mabel Horn Newston) and Betty Carter. Like Manley, it appears to be very difficult to find any information on these two artists.

 For My Sweetheart

3 3/4" x 7 3/4"
circa 1920s
mechanical

made in USA
by Ruth E. Newton and Elizabeth Manley

for Campbell Art Co

The rosy-cheeked children Newton renders can tend to look a little like those of Charles Twelvetrees or perhaps Mabel Lucie Attwell. However, the characteristic curling, tousled hair and preponderance of gingers gives them her own distinctive flair. Characters that appear in her book illustrations can reappear looking much the same on valentine cards. Studying the books she illustrated can help one to learn to identify her unsigned work. There are quite a few examples to peruse as Newton was very prolific.

Among her books for Whitman was a 1935 book titled Valentines to Cut Out and Make Up. This one is of course of special interest to valentine collectors. It is a difficult task to chase down an intact copy of it.

Here's the best news right on time I want you for my Valentine

5 1/4" x 3"
circa 1930s/1940s
mechanical
by Ruth E. Newton

She retired and returned to Erie in 1968 but sadly didn't get to enjoy that retirement for long. In 1969 she suffered a bad fall that left her requiring assistance so she lived out the rest of her life in a nursing home. She passed away in 1972.

'X' is the sign that 'eye' want U-2-B my Valentine - I Luv U

5 1/4" x 3"
made in USA
Standing Fold-Out
by Ruth E. Newton

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Companies Ruth Newton is know to have worked for: 

• Campbell Art Co
• Whitman Publishing
• Rust Craft 
• Ivory Soap
• Sun Rubber Co

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Sources:

The Romance of Greeting Cards (1956 revised edition) by Ernest Dudley Chase

Excerpts of emails and conversations with Linda Lipfert White by Catskill Dolls
Erie Art Museum, Nicholas Gallery, Ruth Newton