Josie's C. 1850s Victorian Die Cut Valentine in Period Frame, Dayton, Ohio wooden cutout with the blues of his

with the blues of his eyes cast in one direction while the knees of his terrific long red legs point in the other

they thus become studies in theme and variation

The features are in fact utilitarian ones

One tiny split in the wood on one side at the tip of the handle

it has an irregularly faceted form and interesting surface showing a mix of cream

Josie's C. 1850s Victorian Die Cut Valentine in Period Frame, Dayton, Ohio wooden cutout with the blues of hisI 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