What favorite Valentine’s Day memory makes you smile? Is it a handmade, lopsided heart from one of your children? Or maybe it was a silly date with your spouse? Could it be a memory from childhood?

For us, it always began the week before February 14 in art class. We spent our class hour carefully decorating brown paper sacks or old shoe boxes for our Valentine mailbox. We remember wandering the aisle of the store in early February, carefully considering which box of Valentine’s to share with our classmates.

We would carefully sort out the different cards in the Valentine’s box, deciding which card would go to which friend. It was serious business.

This was Valentine’s at its best in the 1980’s.

This started us thinking about how long people have been sharing heart-shaped cards. Valentine’s Day has been celebrated a long time. Since 300 AD long! There have been many evolutions and cultural traditions surrounding the largely western holiday. Take a look back at what our parents and grandparents might have exchanged for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Cards in 1890s

Valentine’s Day was a big deal in Victorian England. This is a card your great-great grandparents might have sent to each other to share their mutual feelings of admiration.

Valentine’s Cards in 1910s

Unsurprisingly, it was in the United States where the mass production of Valentine’s Day cards began at the turn of the 20th century. The daughter of a prominent stationery company received a handmade Valentine from a friend in England, and she wanted to make more. And that is how the multi-billion-dollar industry was born. Cupids were particularly prominent in the cards you would send off to your special someone, and our great-grandparents would have received a card like this.

Valentine’s Cards in 1930s

Along came a man named Walt Disney, and the Valentine industry landscape experienced another shift. Suddenly, beloved characters sold the cards! And we haven’t looked back since. This Snow White card was the Frozen of our grandparent’s time!

Valentine’s Cards in 1950s

The midcentury’s popularity has soared recently with shows like Mad Men making the décor and fashion a fun vintage throwback. It is known for a certain endearing corniness. Our parents would have been searching the Valentine aisle for cards like these!

Modern Day Valentine’s Cards

Valentine’s Day revolves around expressing our love for the friends and family in our life. If you are looking to share the love with grandparents or other loved ones, let Keepy help! You already have the most precious moment to use for your card to say “I love you!”