Creator
Richard Pitt.
Title
Handmade English Valentine, Richard Pitt to His Wife, Anne Pitt.
Coverage
Ilfracombe (Devon)
Date
with 1805 postal cancellation
Description
Watercolor on thick paper, 19 x 16½ in.
Provenance: Philatelist and writer Frank Staff.
One of the earliest mailed valentines, this message is filled with tender emotion. It is a superb tribute to love, crafted by a sailor returning home to his wife.
The elaborate design, with decorative borders and tasseled curtain swag, is personalized with the lovers’ initials, “RP” and “AP.” Romantic emblems of love, spring, and fruitfulness abound, including primrose flowers, paired lovebirds, bows and arrows, Cupids, and monogrammed flaming hearts. Richard Pitt writes:
In war I served my King and country, at home I hope to live in peace with thee. The birds that sing shall tune our nuptial joys.
This stands above all others in my collection of valentines, as it embodies their history, artistry, and passion, and its imagery and content evoke the emotions felt over 200 years ago.
Provenance: Philatelist and writer Frank Staff.
One of the earliest mailed valentines, this message is filled with tender emotion. It is a superb tribute to love, crafted by a sailor returning home to his wife.
The elaborate design, with decorative borders and tasseled curtain swag, is personalized with the lovers’ initials, “RP” and “AP.” Romantic emblems of love, spring, and fruitfulness abound, including primrose flowers, paired lovebirds, bows and arrows, Cupids, and monogrammed flaming hearts. Richard Pitt writes:
In war I served my King and country, at home I hope to live in peace with thee. The birds that sing shall tune our nuptial joys.
This stands above all others in my collection of valentines, as it embodies their history, artistry, and passion, and its imagery and content evoke the emotions felt over 200 years ago.
Source
Nancy Rosin