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XOXO, Digital Library Services

cupid

University of Iowa student with bow and arrow, mid-1920s

Whether you are single, happily attached, or somewhere in between, we in Digital Library Services offer you a historical perspective of that sometimes treacherous holiday lurking just around the corner: St. Valentine’s Day.

My Heart Pants

“My heart pants 4 u, ” Aug. 1, 1907

The February 14, 1961 Daily Iowan reminds readers to send a card to their favorite boy or girl because “Valentine’s Day does make for that special feeling.”

The Daily Iowan Valentine reminder

Daily Iowan, Feb. 14, 1961

A Vidette-Reporter article from 1891 tells a freshman student’s cautionary tale about the last valentine he ever sent. (Spoiler alert! After choosing the wrong card, he finds himself hiding in the mud under his intended sweetheart’s front porch.)

Pansies Valentine

“I send you my love and a pansy smile, ” Jan. 27, 1921

And who wouldn’t love a slice of Pink February Pie?

Pink Februrary Pie recipe

Up a country lane scrapbook, vol. 06: Jan. 1, 1974 – Dec. 25, 1978

Enjoy more romantic artifacts: http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/valentines

–Joanna Lee
Digital Projects Librarian