A woman ice skates. She has a headdress and curls along her forehead that resemble Ancient Greek styles., Text: When ancient damsels take to ice, / The fire of youth no longer shines, / And they should quit this poor device / For catching cold and Valentines., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman wears a shawl around her shoulders and a black hood on her head., Text: Your angry vengeful mien, / Surely bodes some ill; / I hope you have not loved -- / Not wisely-- but, too well., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A man wears a bonnet and crinoline over his clothing while he does laundry. The valentine satirizes men who did not fight in the Civil War and characterizes them as cowardly and effeminate., Text: You enlist! not to fight at your dear country's call. / You keep from the field where the brave fight & fall; / A sneak and a coward, and no force or persuasion, / Could make you leave home, but the fact of invasion., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The artillery soldier sits on a large bird with a cannon for its head. He holds his swab in his hand and wears a Union uniform. The sender criticizes the recipient for having killed many people and compares his interest in the cannon to his interest in his pipe., Text: Mister Artillery, how quickly you fly, / How many poor mortals this day have to die; / With your swab in your fist, and your cannon well rammed, / And your pipe with tobacco profusedly crammed. / Just fly from my presence, and that very quickly, / The sight of your face makes a person feel sickly., "526", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman wears a triangular gown and coat. The valentine mocks the crinoline fashion trend, particularly the dirt the skirts attracted in the streets., Pretty lady do not rage / When I say you're in a cage, / By a lot of hoops secured -- / Of it, I am well assured, / Sweep away the side-walks clean, / Of street sweepers, you're the queen., Cf. Valentine 1.41 and Valentine 12.34., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The military bummer, clad in a red coat and yellow pants, has the head of a bulldog. Three Union soldiers stand behind him on one side; two hold rifles with bayonets, and one is drumming. On the other side, an officer stands in front of a tent. A United States flag flies from a flag pole, on which is mounted a sign which reads "Drummed out of Camp for being a Bummer." A "bummer" is a person who avoids duties., Text: He who fights and runs away, / May live to fight another day; / But you did run with all your might, / You did not stay to see the fight., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman wears a cracked bell as a bonnet, and her tongue is the bell's clapper. The border features matches, a heart-shaped beet, and cherubs playing tennis and tug o' war. The label on the matchbox reads "Red-headed matches go off easy," and the beet is marked "D.B." [i.e. "dead beat" or "dead beet"]., Text: Oh! you're a bell (without the e) / All tongue, and brass, and clatter, / A ring exchanged with you would be / A very serious matter. / Dinnerless I would go, for a long spell, / Rather than be rung in by such a bell!, Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine shows a woman and a man facing each other across a counter. He holds out a yellow piece of fabric for her to examine., Text: Sir Foppleton Frisk of folded shreds, / Silks, Satins, Laces, Cottons, Threads, / How oft I say "oh! did I ever," / My heart breathes quickly "No I never.", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A Union soldier sits on top of a toy horse. He wears spurs and a sword, and he has a gray beard and hair. "Dead beat" is slang for soldiers who feigned injury to shirk their duties. The phrase "tainted sore with treason" refers to the soldier's pox-marked face, which suggests sexual promiscuity and venereal disease., Text: A pretty Valentine you look, upon that horse of thine, / But know, my sweet-faced Brigadier, you never can be mine; / Better men than you can ever be, are waiting for your seat, / So throw up your commission, you regular "dead beat." / You never can be popular, for this one simple reason, / The best friends you have got, suspect you're tainted sore with treason., "507", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman pets a rooster held by a man. She wears a walking dress that reveals her leg, and he smiles at her., Text: Now do but look what have we here-- / La! John, but what is it, come now; / Look on this picture, then on that, / Then laugh until you grow quite fat; / Worse than the devil himself are you, / In hide and heart and fancy too; --., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A man is a weathercock, with his legs and arms indicating direction and the center spire going through his torso., Text: The weather-cock that turns it face / With ever wind that blows, / An emblem of a class of men / As uncertain as the drifiting snows; / Although his points he argues well, / And promises so very fair, / Yet like the sprightly Paddy's flea, / You'lt always find he isn't there. / I've brought this fact to your attention, / To show you are of the class I mention., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A Union soldier carries a rifle and a large rucksack with a canteen, bayonet, and case attached., Text: Behold the conquering hero come, / From rations of hard-tack to rations of rum; / While battles raged you stayed in camp-- / A youthful soldier, but "veteran" scamp., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The woman wears a bonnet and carries a large hat box. "Cap-a-pie" means "head to foot.", Text: So you've come out armed cap-a-pie, / To try and catch a man, / And this to do you'll spare no beau, / But catch one if you can., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine shows a man with a frog-like appearance gesturing expansively. He wears a top hat and holds a walking stick., Text: The sun supplies the painter's place, / And pictures true your manly face; / The girls who see this phiz hereafter, / Will die of love -- or else of laughter., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine depicts a woman with the body of a duck., Text: Take my advice my little duck, / And quick a husband take, / For it is so, as you well know, / Each duck must have its drake., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A Union soldier holds a musket with a bayonet. His nose is larger than the bayonet, but both have the same shape., Text: When our lines to break, / The enemy tries, / Do let me for once / Your brave spirit advise: / When things look promiscuous, / And are coming to a blows, / Then--away with your musket, / And charge with your nose., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The Irishman has copious facial hair, smokes a pipe, and wears knee-breeches. He stands in front of another man and a ship. The "Know Nothings" were an anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant group, and the valentine mocks the Irishman for knowing so little that he would join a group that opposes him., Text: It's Paddy from Cork I am; sure you'll be knowin' me; / And I'm jist over, good manners to tache: / Faith, I'm a know-nothing, and soon I'll be showin' ye / How to git into office, and stick like a lache., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman sits at a piano singing, and her shadow looks like a bird. The valentine puns on the word "lark" to mock the recipient for being a ridiculously bad singer., Text: You think yourself so runs the tale / A very Lark or Nightingale, / For those that hear you sing, say "hark" / "List to that warbling, what a Lark," / While thus you sing to please the men / You are a precious Lark to them., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A Zouave Union soldier holds a pistol and a sword. Cannon balls fly in the background, suggesting that he is in danger, and foolisth rather than brave., Text: Through leaden rain and iron hail / My Zou-Zou never turns his tail / And though he's often fit and bled / He's sure he's right and goes ahead., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine shows a darkened man with facial hair, yellow legs that may be socks, and caucasian features. He wears a red loin cloth and carries a small ax. Nena Sahib played a prominent role in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, and the valentine uses racist and Orientalist references to critique the recipient's behavior and appearance., Text: Savage by nature, and savage by looks, / You scare chambermaids and frighten the cooks. / What a fate is hers that is linked to thine! / I'd rather have Nena Sahib for my Valentine., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The school mistress holds a book marked "abc a" in front of a group of children. She has pointed features and an enlongated neck. The "Bad One" refers to the devil., Text: Gracious! what your husband would be! / If you only had one!--- / But before that ever could be, / You will see the Bad One! / That you're striking none can doubt, / Not the silliest scholars--- / For in school, when you're about, / Crackee! how they hol-lers!, Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The country clown holds a rake and stands on grass. He smiles widely and wears a wide-brimmed hat, trousers, shirt, and vest. The text suggests that he speaks a provincial dialect, saying "ye" for "you.", Text: Devoid of breeding, arts, and graces, / Among the greens I'm sure your place is; / To come to town would be a pity, / For I am sure some horse would eat ye., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
An ugly woman holds a mask of a beautiful face., Text: So so, here we have you unmasked, I declare, / And Satan himself you would certainly scare; / The mask, keep it on, till he sendeth for you-- / Come for you himself, is a thing he'll ne'er do-- / O brimstone and bitterness, how it he'd rue!, Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A white man kneels before a racistly depicted African- American man. The African-American man stands on a pedestal and has wings. "Contraband" here means "slave," and the sender rejects the recipient because of his sympathy for slaves. L. Prang & Co. first appeared in the Boston city directory in 1863., Text: You love the contrabands too much / To have love left for me, / And therefore you my Valentine / Can never hope to be., "18", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The policeman talks to a woman through a window. She wears a low-cut gown, and he holds his hands to his face. Behind him, a boy steals something from a man's pocket. The valentine criticizes him for neglecting his job to pay attention to women., Text: What a happy life the policeman leads; / With his Starry shield before him! / He mutters his love to the passing maids, / While ladies, from windows, adore Him. / The Gallant BRAVE Fellow never suspects / A thief might, near Him, be stealing; / So he chats with HIS DEAR, and bows his respects, / While love the dark-deed is concealing., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A thin Union soldier in a ragged uniform stands entreating a stout Union soldier in a well-kept uniform., Text: You fat old cuss, give us our grub, / You have our cash to feed us, / You're paid to keep us in good trim, / And not to sponge and bleed us., Variant of 13.20., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine shows an overweight woman with ringlet curls. Her gown is low cut., Text: "Fat, fair and forty," I have heard / As terms of half praise; on my word / I could not say the same of you, / Fat, ugly, lazy, is too true., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman with an ill-tempered expression stands with her hands on her hips., Text: 'Tis my belief that God created wives / To sweeten all the troubles of men's lives; / But surely, you exert your utmost power, / To poison his best joys and turn them sour., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A large woman in bed holds her arms up and yawns., Text: My pretty maid, to me it seems, / You're always in the land of dreams; / Take my advice and never wed -- / Your mate should be a feather bed., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The politician hides a bill marked "$100 bribe" behind his back, and he holds a bloodied knife marked "argument" in front of him. He stands at table with a contract on it. The border features a woman embracing a man; the pair resemble Commedia dell'arte characters. At the bottom is a pack of matches marked "Lucifer's matches.", Text: Oh! you're a political rough, rough, / With your bowie-knife, pistol, and bribe. / Now the ballot-box better can stuff, rough, / Than you and your elegant tribe. / And 't is you, who, unless I mistake, take / Proper measures for winning the trick, / And keep your own voters awake, wake, / By touching them with a sharp stick., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A man stands in front of an almshouse with "releiving overseer deficit" written on it. In the background four people stand together; a woman holds a baby and a small child, and a man hunches forward onto a cane. "Overseer" is short for the "overseer of the poor," or the public servant who provides services to the poor., Text: Hard of Heart! the poor are flying; / At the sight of you their faint hearts bleed: / You callous wretch! you are denying / The mercy you will some time need., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A man stands with his fists raised to fight. The term "b'hoys" marks him as a young working class man from the Five Points neighborhood in New York., Text: In quarrels, and fights, are your only delights, / Or in making most hideous noise; / I'm sure you'll not doubt, when I say, you're about / The worst example, of one of the "B'hoys.", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman has black curly hair and wears ice skates and a skating costume., Text: That flashing eye, that beaming brow! / Those curls that wildly float and shine / O, if thy hair's as false as thou, / Thou'lt prove a sorry Valentine., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A drunken man leans against a post. He holds a bottle of gin and steps on a piece of paper that reads "Maine Liq[our] Law," an 1851 law which prohibited the sale of liquor in Maine.The valentine mocks opposers of Temperance by showing them as excessive drinkers., Text: You uphold the rum-traders madly, / While you cannot hold up yourself; / You swallow their poison, and gladly / You aid them in robbing your pelf., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The compounder of drugs has a crane's head and is extremely thin. He carries a large red syringe and has a medicine bottle in his pocket., Text: Compounder keen of drenching drugs, / Fly-poison, baneful wash for bugs, / And boluses for rats; / Pills, plasters, rubber for the toes, / And odors to regulate the nose, / And castor oil for cats., Variant of 7.2., "115", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine depicts a stout woman with a hooked nose holding three dresses in her arms. "Old Clothes" is written behind her. The border features a woman embracing a man; the pair resemble Commedia dell'arte characters. At the bottom is a pack of matches marked "Lucifer's matches.", Text: My stout Jerusalem artichoke / I greet you with a hearty joke / Because you've cash to lend me when I'm low. / My mind completely rapt it is / Your nose so well adapted is / For snuffing up a bargain of "Old clo'"!, Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A goose wears a Union jacket, carries a rucksack, holds a gun, and smokes a small pipe., Text: Pray tell me if you can, whatever was the use / Of your going for a soldier? Eh, you silly, green old goose; / You should have staid at home with your friends, my pretty creature / Instead of going 'mongst your foes, who'll kill and maybe eat yer. / With war's chances all against you, there's no telling how you'll die, / Things won't look so lovely, if, dear goose, you should hang high., "519", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The bookbinder, wearing an apron and a crown hat, sews a book on a sewing frame. His glue bucket is in front of him and his paper cutter behind him. In the background, a woman uses a roll on a book., Text: My life's a waste, I'm sick of paste; And printers, books and presses / Might quickly go to Jericho, Should Fortune smile, and bless us!.. / -- Yes, but who's the fool that would be thy Valentine?, Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A man on ice skates has long mutton chops and holds a walking stick, suggesting that he is a dandy. The valentine encourages enlistment in the Union army and mocks the recipient's unmanly interest in dress and ice skating., Text: Faint-hearted youth! you talk of skating, / And call the sport quite animating; / You say there's nothing half so bracing; / There's naught the manly form so gracing, / As through the icy maze to twine. / But hark! your country's voice is calling, / Treason all her hopes is thralling; / 'Tis manlier games men now delight in, / For God and Liberty they're fighting; / From these I'll seek my Valentine., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A Union soldier holds a bouquet of red roses and a sword. In addition to his uniform, he wears a monocle and cap, suggesting that he is a dandy. The sender mocks the recipient's inflated sense of his attractiveness., Text: Swaggering like some great high-grandee, / How d'ye do, my Soldier Dandy; / The girls, you think, no doubt get sweet / On you as you strut through the street. / But they're more apt to think you scamp, / When you're found roaming from your camp., "515", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A man carrying a fan wears a hat, eyeglasses, and a large coat . Another man stands in the background., Text: Your curious and mysterious ways have made / Your conduct and employment a charade / Which time alone can solve, and I've no doubt / They'll find a rascal when they find you out., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The butcher has a bull's head and tail and holds a knife and blade sharpener. Behind him are cuts of meat., Text: We may search all the market, old Bullshead, 'tis true, / But in vain may we look for a monster like you: / For you both cut and steal with such stinking tough chops / 'Tis the sight of the horns, where no customer stops; / No beast such as you, either west, north, or south, / Can be found-- and you're surely the "OLD BULL AND MOUTH., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A soldier lies asleep with his arm around a barrel of lager and a rifle, or "yager," resting on him. The "picket guard" means guard duty for the regiment, and the sender criticizes the recipient for neglecting his military duty., Text: Asleep on your post! Mister Sentry, O fie! / What, ho! sir, wake up! rise and shoulder your yager, / Before thus laid low I supposed you got high / On repeated libations of brain-muddling lager. / Be stirring, be stirring, the guard on their round / Will soon -- as in duty bound -- visit the spot, sir, / And should you asleep by your comrades be found, / They'd report you, and then-- why, of course, you'd be shot, sir!, Cf. Valentine 8.25., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A carpenter carves a heart out of wood. He holds a hammer and awl, and a saw, chisels, and triangle are on the bench behind him., Text: Oh, why is gentle love / A stranger to that mind! / Which pity and esteem can move-- / Which can be just and kind., "91", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A man wearing a Union uniform cowers in front of a bayonet. The text mocks the recipient's cowardice., Text: I believe you would let a man spit in your face, / Or submit to all insults, put up with disgrace; / Your name has become a byword and jeer, / As a poor silly coward, the pattern of fear., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine shows a woman wearing a crown, gown, and holding a parasol. A young man holds the train of her coat. The valentine mocks the woman's too-slender stature and excessively large crinoline., Text: A skeleton in figure / You still are bound to shine, / The great among the greatest / In size of Crinoline., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine shows three men in uniform carrying guns.The first and last men are the same height, but the middle figure is twice their heights and much thinner., Text: Gaunt and slim and bony baby, / You will be promoted -- maybe; / Than your comrades two foot higher, / For what more can you aspire?, Variant of Valentine 5.9., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman wears a plaid gown with a low neckline that reveals her breasts. Her crinoline billows up, revealing her petticoat. She pulls back a yellow blanket, possibly before getting into bed. The text suggests that she is sexually promiscuous., Text: You shall not sigh your hours away, / For you're the gayest of the gay; / You love the concert and the dance, / Life's pleasures they so much enhance. / Full many a stricken, ardent beau, / Has oft' pronounced that you're not slow, / You do the warmth of love excite, / And charm me with hope of fond delight., Cf. Valentine 5.41., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
The valentine shows a small woman in a blue gown with puffed sleeves. She wears a hat with a large pink feather in it., Text: I am a Heart-breaker, / For men I don't care; / The best one shall never / Catch me in Love's snare., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
A woman with large, pointed facial features stands at a door holding the doorknob., Text: From all that is lovely, I'm sorry to find, / Both of grace and of mind, you're exempt; / And though to think well, my heart is inclined, / You only can merit contempt., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
