The Valentine 1830-1960

The catalogue of a 1995 Oriel 31 Exhibition - The Valentine - from the Shell Art Collection.

The Shell Valentine Collection began life as pat of a much larger collection belonging to Jane Samuels, the collector and founder of The Valentine Shop in The Strand, London. The shop closed in the early 1960s and Shell UK Ltd. acquired 200 examples for their Art Collection.

The collection has romance, sentiment and gushing sincerity with a liberal use of satin ribbon, gilt cupids and lace paper. But to counter this, there are also satirical cartoons with cruel verse which express the bitterness and disenchantment of loves lost.

Elaine Marshall - Exhibition Organiser - Oriel 31.

Paperback 265 x 210 mm pp. 47 -of the history with full colour plates.