Card, valentine card

Ornate handmade Victorian valentine card. Although birds were a popular romantic motif and feature on many early valentine's cards, most cards only went so far as to include an drawing, painting or occasionally photograph of a bird. This card, which is amongst the most ambitious in the collection, has gone further by including an actual dead bird. The bird has been dyed purple and yellow and has been attached to a satin cushion. The cushion is surrounded by several silver and white embossed lace paper borders, which have been mounted on hinges to give a three dimensional effect. The card is finished with fabric flowers and a paper-lace edged satin oval with a verse painted onto it.