Special Collections: 200 Years of Valentine’s Day Cards with University of Toronto Library’s Collection

From the University of Toronto Library:

University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is exploring the evolution and history of Valentine’s Day memorabilia with its new collection of around 500 cards dating back to the 19^thcentury.

We have one of the largest collections of Valentine’s ephemera in North America,” says David Fernandez, a rare book librarian at Fisher Library.

After acquiring the collection from David Mason Books this past summer, Fernandez and Zoe Panday, a Fisher Library intern and art history major, worked together to sort and catalogue the collection.

The library’s collection ranges from elaborate fold-out valentines and ones with moveable parts to cards the size of post-its.

[Clip]

Fernandez says the collection will soon be digitized and will be publicly available online.

Read the Complete Article, View Pictures of Items in the Collection