Valentine Card, Vintage 1920s, Girl with Doll, Whitney Made, Ephemera

A girl holds her doll on the cover, with a peek inside at her looking in a mirror — a die-cut swirl border in the George C. Whitney style completes the scene.

• Maker: George C. Whitney Co. (marked “Whitney Made”)
• Materials: Paper
• Dimensions: 3.75 × 2.5 inches
• Origin: Massachusetts, USA
• Era: Vintage 1920s
• Condition: Used, with ink writing; no envelope. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

This die-cut Valentine's Day card, marked “Whitney Made,” features a girl holding her doll on the front, with an interior illustration of the girl looking in a mirror. The border is trimmed in one of Whitney's signature red-heart swirl designs, and the card reads “To My Valentine.”

A charming find for a greeting card collector or a piece for vintage-inspired crafting and display.

George C. Whitney began making valentines in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the 1860s and went on to buy out numerous smaller valentine makers, including Esther Howland's New England Valentine Company in 1881. By the late 1880s, the George C. Whitney Company had grown into one of the largest valentine publishers in the country, with offices in New York, Boston, and Chicago, and by 1915 Worcester was producing an estimated 90 percent of all valentines exchanged in the U.S. The company operated until 1942, and its cards — often stamped “Whitney Made” on the back — remain a favorite among collectors of antique American valentines today.

Browse our shop for more vintage Valentine's Day ephemera to round out your collection.