Check out 12 weird and wacky early 20th century valentines

Here at Time Out, we’ve been going all out over the last few weeks to give you everything you need to celebrate Valentine’s Day in NYC. From fun and unique date ideas to cool V Day activities and NYC’s most romantic restaurants, we’ve been sharing tons of ideas for a holiday to remember—even if it’s bound to look a lot different than past years. So today, we’re sharing something you absolutely don’t need. (Or maybe didn’t know you needed?)

Among the New York Public Library’s extensive digital collections, a tiny sub-collection focuses on early 20th century Valentine’s Day cards, and they are as weird and wacky as you may expect. Cupid on a painter’s palette? Check. A creepy flower with a woman’s face? You got it. A boy stuck on top of a fence? You better believe it!

Another fascinating draw of the collection, especially for those of us interested in the private lives of dead people, is that in most cases you can see what was written on the back of each valentine—ranging from the short and sweet “To my valentine” to the long and detailed (Genevieve certainly got an earful in 1922!)

You can check out the full collection here and browse some fun highlights from the collection below. Hey, maybe you could even send one of these to your special someone this weekend! It will save you a couple bucks and you can rest assured you’re sending a truly timeless message.

Most popular on Time Out

- The 100 best movies of all time
- This new site finds the latest NYC vaccine appointments from 43 city and state run sites
- 13 amazing NYC hotel deals you can take advantage of right now
- Time Out’s guide to Valentine’s Day in NYC
- 13 amazing NYC hotel deals you can take advantage of right now

Want to know what’s cool in the city? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest and greatest from NYC and beyond.