Victorian Cupid Valentine Card with Bow and Arrow

For reasons that defy explanation, a small decorative torch engraved with a heart smolders with quiet menace behind this rosy cherub, who is suspended against a teal heart-shaped backdrop and flanked by cheerful forget-me-nots with locked-in target focus and the determination of someone who absolutely will not miss — bow drawn, arrow nocked, tiny bare body wrapped in nothing but a jaunty green strap. The upward gaze gives him the energy of a toddler who just discovered he has power over adults, which, frankly, is the most accurate depiction of love ever printed on cardstock. That this was the Victorian era's idea of a wholesome Valentine is both historically fascinating and a deeply personal attack.