The Georgia Historical Society recently digitized the Norma Tucker Sturtevant collection of postcards and Valentine’s Day cards and added the collection to its online finding aids. Born in Atlanta in 1904, Norma Tucker Sturtevant lived in Georgia’s capital her entire life. She was the daughter of Geneva Candace Murphy and Charles Madison Tucker, owner and operator of a grocery store on Lee Street in Atlanta. A graduate of Girl’s High and Agnes Scott College, Norma met her future husband, Julian Sturtevant, while they both worked for Southern Bell, a regional telephone operating company that pre-dated AT&T. Around 1920, Norma began saving the Valentine’s Day cards she received from her loved ones.

“For a sentimental look at Valentine’s Day cards from a century ago, the Norma Tucker Sturtevant collection provides an excellent sampling,” said Nate Pedersen, Manager of the GHS Archival and Reference Team “These 64 Valentine’s Day cards were collected and saved by Norma when she was an Atlanta teenager in the 1920s. The cards come from a host of boyfriends and girlfriends, and a few secret admirers. The playful, vintage art allows for an enjoyable glimpse at 1920s conceptions of teenage love.”

Decorated with motifs from cherubs to hearts and featuring messages from poems to puns, these twentieth-century cards offer a glimpse into the commercial side of the Valentine’s Day holiday through formal messages.

Valentines were first commercially manufactured in America in the 1800s, but the practice of exchanging formal, written messages and handmade valentines dates to much earlier. Printing technology has heavily influenced the valentine, expanding their quantity and artistic design. Today, we can see features like glitter and three-dimensional effects as we express our affection to loved ones, friends, family members, and classmates.

Explore the Norma Tucker Sturtevant collection of postcards and Valentine's Day cards.