10+1 Best Links Ever for Valentine’s Day

On Valentine’s Day, Americans celebrate love and friendship by exchanging cards, flowers, and candy.  As a gift to our many readers, here’s a list of Valentine’s Day links, personally reviewed & certified by MadSilence.  Enjoy!  

Today in History: February 14.  A collection of resources for Valentine’s Day, including brief history of the holiday and valentine cards, images, historic love songs, and other material from the collections of the Library of Congress.  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb14.html

A Thousand Kisses: Love Letters from the Archives of American Art
“This selection of affectionate communiqués to and from American artists gives us insight into the lives of painters, sculptors, illustrators, and others—their relationships, perceptions, and creative energies—from the mid-19th century to the late 20th. They also allow us to empathize with artists through the most universal of human emotions: love in all its permutations.  The letters presented here cover a range of intensity, from sexual passion to the devotion of a parent, and from the durable bonds of friendship to the enthusiasm of fans.”
http://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibits/index.cfm/fuseaction/projects.viewproject/projectid/135

Let Out Your Creative Juices
“Create your own Kleenex® Oval tissue box and bring your personal style and vision to life.  Celebrate a special occasion, feature a silly moment or simply show anything that makes you smile.  Only $4.99 USD + shipping.  Pick a background image, add photos, frames, clip art & text, even your own art, pick a lid color, and you’re all set!”
http://www.mykleenextissue.com/

Send That Special Someone…A Virtual Hug
http://www.onlinehugs.com/

U.S. Census Bureau: Valentine’s Day 2008: Feb. 14
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/010968.html

Valentine’s Day from the History Channel   
Extensive background on the History of Valentine’s Day, a Survival Guide, History’s Romantics, Games, and much more. 
http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine/

CNN.com/IN-DEPTH: Valentine’s Day   
This special feature from 2002 addresses different aspects of Valentine’s Day and romance.  Includes articles about the history of Valentine’s Day, romantic gifts, online matchmaker services, and joint finances and marriage. 
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/valentines/

For Saint Valentine’s Day, a collection of Victorian Comic and Lace-Paper Valentines
http://www.scrapalbum.com/svcomic/svc_p1.htm
http://www.scrapalbum.com/stvalent.htm

Making Valentines: A Tradition in America
This online exhibit “is designed to show the evolution of the Valentine’s Day card.”  It features annotated images of early Valentine cards from before 1850, background about Esther Allen Howland (an innovator in Valentine card design and production, who began making and selling Valentines in the 1850s), the George C. Whitney Valentine manufacturing company, which was in business from 1866 to 1942, and Victorian cards.  From the American Antiquarian Society.
http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Valentines/

Valentine’s Day: Love and Romance Through the Ages   
This exhibit on the history of Valentine’s Day features images of early greeting cards (with 3D interactive views), symbols associated with the holiday (such as Cupid and flowers), Valentine’s Day in history and literature, religious and spiritual traditions, and more.  In English and French.  From the Virtual Museum of Canada.
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Valentin/English/index.php3

And finally, from our friend Steve Levenstein at Japanorama, here are nine fun Valentine’s Day advertisements from around the world.
http://inventorspot.com/articles/who_loves_marketing_10_valentine_9968 

~MadSilence