Love Stinks & So Do You~ Sherri Easley

 So as I was looking up the history of Valentine’s Day, I found something much more interesting- Vinegar Valentines.

Is there anything possibly more passive aggressive than sending someone a Valentine card to insult them?

In the Victorian era, these postcards were used to let someone know they were unwanted, unappreciated, unliked, or unloved. These unwelcome notes were sometimes crass and even emotionally damaging.

If these cards were not insulting enough, they were sent anonymously, and the recipient had to pay postage upon delivery.

In Civil War Humor, Cameron C. Nickels wrote that vinegar valentines were “tasteless, even vulgar,” and were sent to “drunks, shrews, bachelors, old maids, dandies, flirts, and penny pinchers, and the like.” He added that in 1847, sales between love-minded valentines and these sour notes were split at a major New York valentine publisher. (source atlasobscura.com)

As Valentine cards declined overall, in lieu of fancy dinner dates and gifts, all valentines became less popular including the vinegar valentine, however, if you are not feeling the love, you can still buy them online. 

Once I received a gas station valentine card and felt rose. Guess it could have been worse.