Vintage Cherub Valentine Card Art Nouveau Red Heart

The decision to render those teal shorts in such vivid proportion to the cherub's body creates an unexpectedly absurd silhouette somewhere between 'innocent messenger of love' and 'small feral child who will not be reasoned with.' This barefoot cupid clutches an enormous red heart like he's about to either deliver it to your doorstep or hurl it through a window — you simply cannot tell which. The ornate silver border festooned with dangling red and white hearts frames this scene with the energy of a Victorian hostage situation, and the chain linking the two words 'To My Valentine' below reads less like romantic typography and more like a legal document. He is looking directly at you. He has always been looking at you.