Meet Esther Howland, 'Mother of the American Valentine' − and one of Massachusetts' own
WORCESTER − Love is in the air in the heart of Massachusetts year-round with a heart displayed on every Worcester street sign, as it is in the "heart" of the state.
But Worcester has another lovely legacy in Esther Howland, nicknamed the "Mother of the American Valentine."
Born in 1828, she was the fourth of seven children and only daughter of Southworth and Esther Allen Howland. During this time, Southworth owned the largest stationery store in the area and was also the leading publisher and bookseller.
Growing up in a world of paper, it was a Valentine's Day card sent from England in 1847 that inspired the young woman to design her own version, complete with lace and intricate illustrations. She began making cards by the dozen with a group of local women at the family residence on Summer Street. While there were technically Valentine's Day cards already in the U.S. market, Howland's versions were unique and soared in popularity.
Valentine's Day: 💗 What is the history behind this holiday? Here's what to know, when is it this year
Soon she was selling some $100,000 worth of cards, equivalent to more than $2 million in 2025.
Transforming into a major operation, Howland partnered with Grafton businessman Edward Taft in 1879, and the New England Valentine Co. was born.
According to Taft family folklore, it was not Howland who began making the first cards but Jotham Taft, Edward's father, who taught his friend the art of the valentine.
The story claims that on a business trip to England in 1839, working as a stationer and printer, Jotham Taft discovered the cards and upon his return began creating them with his wife, Sally Coe.
Regardless of which version of the folklore you believe, their partnership was short-lived, and the company was sold to George Whitney in 1881, just three years after Howland and Edward Taft shook hands. Whitney was a competitor in the card industry and had begun making his own versions around the same time.
By 1913, a company by the name of Hallmark moved into the Valentine's Day card business and the rest is history.
"It's interesting, sometimes it's impossible to tell the Howland cards from the Whitney cards unless you turn them over and look at the back," said Wendy Essery, the library and archives manager of the Museum of Worcester.
The museum rolls out hundreds of Valentine's Day cards in February, but Essery said love is in the air year-round at the museum.
"People come in all throughout the year and ask about the valentines," she explained, adding she's more than happy to get cards out of storage for anyone who might want to see them off-season.
The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester now houses more than 3,000 Valentine's Day cards both printed and handmade, including Howland's, Taft's and Whitney's versions.
"These cards really show everyday life," said Lauren Hewes, vice president of collections at the AAS. "We have several cards with locks of hair, so some of them can be incredibly personal, like sending a little piece of themselves through the mail."
"We have what's called 'vinegar cards,' you know, cards you'd send to your 'frenemies,'" she continued.
These cards were often given to someone whom the sender saw as just a friend rather than a romantic partner. Many of the messages held a dark humor, sarcasm and even a little insult to the receiver.
"There are small little cards, about the size of a business card called an 'escort card.' It wasn't easy to meet someone of the opposite sex, you couldn't just walk over to someone and start talking, so people would slip these small cards to one another," Hewes said. "They all said things like 'May I see you home?' and 'I'd like to get to know you better,' all very tame."
And with the passing of time, those messages have changed, as did the act of courtship.
"You can see the trends of the times in the cards, even the homemade ones," Hewes said. "When the telegraph was invented, people started making references."
"As the rules of society loosened up, the messages on Valentine's Day cards became more direct."
That change is palpable walking through the aisle of CVS this time of year. One card read; "You're one of the few people I'll actually answer the phone for." Another reads: "Thanks for not ghosting me."
While the messages of love have changed, the sentiment remains the same.
T&G engagement editor Sarah Barnacle is getting to know Central Mass. by exploring some of the best places to go and things to do in Worcester County. If you have an idea or suggestion, please email sbarnacle@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Who invented Valentine's Day cards? This Massachusetts woman
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'In Hollywood [that] is pathetic,' he says. 'It's worthless. And all the Academy Award winners were pathetic.' (The film was generally considered an indie success; it was made on a $6 million budget.) While Hollywood has long been a bastion of liberalism, there wasn't always such a stark divide between mainstream Hollywood and religious fare. But in today's political climate, the gap is widening. According to April 2024 research from Pew, 59 percent of Protestants align with the Republican Party compared to 38 percent who align with Democrats, and among white Evangelical Protestants, 85 percent lean Republican while only 14 percent lean Democrat. Christians of all faiths are more likely to be Republicans, where Jews, Muslims and anyone unaffiliated with a particular religion are more likely to be a Democrat. The large partisan split among white Evangelical Protestants in particular has grown steadily and significantly since the start of the Reagan era. And that gap has been reflected in available entertainment options. In the Facebook group 'Great American Family (GAC) Fan Community', users post every day about how the network is one of the only ones that represents their interests, values and politics. In a recent post, a fan wrote, 'GAC SEEMS TO HAVE SOME GREAT PROGRAMMING COMING UP FOR GOOD FRIDAY INTO EASTER. THANK YOU! I SAW SOME DISTURBING STUFF ON A MOVIE WITH HALLMARK OVER THE WEEKEND. ONLY TUNED IT IN WHEN IT WAS ALMOST OVER AND IT WAS 10 MINUTES OF AGENDA!' Her post was flooded with supportive comments. 'Stopped watching Hallmark movies when they cowered to the masses allowing same sex couples. Don't miss it and LOVE Great American Family!!,' another member of the group replied. Abbott uses and cultivates that sense of cultural alienation to market his content. Along with A Christmas Spark — where after two days on set Lopez's character has moved from a big-city office setup to charming small-town USA — GAM's offerings include the upcoming Home Sweet Christmas Wedding starring Cameron Bure and a slate of released Easter-themed productions including Forty-Seven Days with Jesus. Watching GAM is not only an escape from Hollywood, but also a signifier of your own values or politics. While spending your money or time with a Great American Media product, you're voting for something. It's not about artistic innovation or form, it's about sending a message. 'I think that 'Christian' is used by the media to downplay or to stereotype,' Abbott told Moms for America. 'It's reverse racism or however you want to define it. You get stereotyped and put in this box. And that's what they want to do, they want to put faith in a box and make it go away. And we will never let that happen.' — Tessa Berenson Rogers contributed to this report.
