Published February 10, 1855. St. Valentine's Day in the 19th century was more of a romantic holiday than today. The post office was forced to hire extra workers to handle the deluge of Valentines in the mail. Major news weeklies such as Harper's, Gleason's, and others marked the occasion with large, romantic illustrations. This example, from the cover of Ballou's Pictorial, shows a romantic Valentine scene, enhanced with hand coloring. Very good condition.