Poignant and Unusual Large 1840s Paper Lace Valentine with Mirror, Verse, and Original Envelope European hand-drawn map both render mountainous Brazilian landscapes

both render mountainous Brazilian landscapes in a manner that feels extremely confident and entirely resolved--these really have gravitas

two other pieces (one yellow one gray) that may have been first attempts or I'm not sure what

The manner in which this piece was carved is such that she stands at an angle when viewed from the front--as pictured

which makes me rather nostalgic for the summer now at its end

Poignant and Unusual Large 1840s Paper Lace Valentine with Mirror, Verse, and Original Envelope European hand-drawn map both render mountainous Brazilian landscapesI've got an eye out for early Valentines every day of the year, this one dating to the 1840s and, rather miraculously, still accompanied by its original envelope, mailed to a Catherine Stowell of Paris, Maine, with postmark on the envelop and traces of the red wax seal still attached. Clearly it meant a lot to our Catherine! and one might guess she married the young man who sent it to her. What really sold me on it is the mirror at center of the