Valentine’s Day flowers… chocolates… rare newspapers?

February 13, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

“I love you!” Why is this so hard to say to those whom we love? The old adage goes that when I seasoned relic from the mid-20th century school of cold-knocks  was asked why he never tells his wife he loves her, he replied, “I told her I loved her the day we married. If anything changes I’ll let her know.”  While a bit humorous, one can’t help but hear the sad sound of little-girl dreams gone unrealized. Valentine’s Day has certainly served its role in helping to remind us to say the things that often go unsaid. Chocolates, flowers, and cards are great tokens of our love, but they pale in comparison to the very words themselves: I love you!

The following historic newspapers, like the February 16, 1861 issue of Harper’s Weekly (shown to the right), provide a chronological look through time at how the holiday has been viewed:  Newspapers with Valentine’s Day coverage.