This image shows a Valentine’s Day card from 1917, given to Louise Wirt by Fred Roth when he was in the fourth grade. The couple married years later and the card remained near Louise’s bedside until her death at 91. (Nancy Roth via AP) 
This combination of images from the American Folk Art Museum Collection shows Love Token for Sarah Newlin, a Valentine’s Day card made of Ink and watercolor on paper, and envelope from 1799. The American Museum of Folk Art in New York City has a number of lovingly crafted cards and other tokens of affection from various periods. (American Folk Art Museum via AP) 
This image released by the American Folk Art Museum in New York shows Pieties Quilt made of cotton from 1848. The museum’s collection includes a number of lovingly crafted tokens of affection from various periods. (American Folk Art Museum Collection via AP) 
This image released by the American Folk Art Museum shows Liebesbreif (Love letter), a watercolor and ink on cut paper from 1790. The museum’s collection includes a number of lovingly crafted tokens of affection from various periods. (American Folk Art Museum Collection via AP) 
This image released by the American Folk Art Museum shows a Heart-and-Hand Love Token, a card made with Ink and varnish on cut paper from 1840–1860. The museum’s collection includes a number of lovingly crafted tokens of affection from various periods. (American Folk Art Museum Collection via AP) 
This image released by the American Folk Art Museum in New York shows Fraktur with Inverted Heart, a watercolor and ink on paper from 1803. The museum’s collection includes a number of lovingly crafted tokens of affection from various periods. (American Folk Art Museum Collection via AP) 
This image released by the American Folk Art Museum in New York shows Labyrinth, a card made with Ink and watercolor on paper. The museum’s collection includes a number of lovingly crafted tokens of affection from various periods. (American Folk Art Museum Collection via AP) 
This image shows a Valentine’s Day card from 1917, given to Louise Wirt by Fred Roth when he was in the fourth grade. The couple married years later and the card remained near Louise’s bedside until her death at 91. (Nancy Roth via AP) 
This image released by The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum shows a Valentine’s greeting card from 1810. (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum via AP) 
This image released by The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum shows a Valentine’s Day card made of machine cut paper, decoupage on a paper doily from the 19th century. The boom in commercial Valentine’s Day cards really began in the mid-1800s and was a reflection of changing courtship patterns, says Elizabeth White Nelson, associate professor of history at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum via AP) 
This image released by The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum shows a Valentine’s greeting card from 2010 made of lasercut card stock (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum via AP)
Earnest or playful, that Valentine’s card has a history
