One Last Victorian Paper Lace Valentine, c. 1840s with Watercolored Pansies (Blank Interior) erzgebirge animals but holding on nicely to

but holding on nicely to the rest of it

There are several versions of this "Little Peasant Girl" --including a plaster model now in the collection of the Met

is super striking and it reminds me a lot of the enamelware of Catherine Holm

and I think this one may be my very favorite that I have found--pure

especially at lower right

One Last Victorian Paper Lace Valentine, c. 1840s with Watercolored Pansies (Blank Interior) erzgebirge animals but holding on nicely toOne last Victorian paper lace valentine today, because 'tis almost valentine season, and what a lovely thing to give to a beloved, including oneself. I'm fussy about ones I like, choosing this and several sold last week from more than a hundred 19th c. examples that had been collected over many years by a major Maine based paper dealer, whose collection was not long ago acquired by another Maine dealer and friend. This one c. 1840s, with the pansies