Josie's C. 1850s Victorian Die Cut Valentine in Period Frame, Dayton, Ohio coal cart I believe this was likely

I believe this was likely a front matter page of a much studied book

with some light stains on front and back

Sizes of "decks" varied a bit

Very balletic looking to me

I also love the dramatic stems and pencil-drawn flourished around them

Josie's C. 1850s Victorian Die Cut Valentine in Period Frame, Dayton, Ohio coal cart I believe this was likelyI tend to pass over Victorian die cut creations in favor of hand drawn ones, but this early Valentine., c. 1850s or so, feels as much the latter as the former, and I think is just wonderful. It appears to have been made for a Josie Millie __ (?) of Dayton Ohio, with her name written several times in pencil inside the heart constructed of many bits of die cut greenery and flowers. Then below, several lines of a poem, the first two of which one can