One Last Victorian Paper Lace Valentine, c. 1840s with Watercolored Pansies (Blank Interior) erzgebirge animals ) shows clean

) shows clean

but holding on nicely to the rest of it

7 1/4" x 6" and in very good condition

There are several versions of this "Little Peasant Girl" --including a plaster model now in the collection of the Met

I first purchased a batch of heart pips from this very same deck from a seller in Holland

One Last Victorian Paper Lace Valentine, c. 1840s with Watercolored Pansies (Blank Interior) erzgebirge animals ) shows cleanOne last Victorian paper lace valentine today, because 'tis almost valentine season, and what a lovely thing to give to a beloved, including oneself. I'm fussy about ones I like, choosing this and several sold last week from more than a hundred 19th c. examples that had been collected over many years by a major Maine based paper dealer, whose collection was not long ago acquired by another Maine dealer and friend. This one c. 1840s, with the pansies