Although Valentine’s Day has come and gone, we in the New Jersey Digital Newspaper Project office wanted to share a few Valentine’s images from New Jersey’s historic newspapers.
The February 10, 1920 edition of the Perth Amboy Evening News featured thoughts about “the spirit of Valentine’s Day” from Lenore Ulric, Jane Cowl, Ann Mason, Theda Bara, and Jessie Reed, whose authority came from being deemed the “five most beautiful women on the American stage today.”
From the Woman’s Interests Page of the February 10, 1920 Perth Amboy Evening News.
The actresses felt that “youth and love” best described the spirit of the day. Theda Bara said, “It is the day that is the harbinger of spring in our hearts.”
The February 1, 1912 Bridgeton Pioneer carried a story about the value of Valentine’s Day stationery, which “offers the advantage of affording friends an opportunity to exchange the compliments of the season with dignity.”
The girl featured on the same page in the Pioneer chose not to purchase the stationery, but rather to make a Valentine’s card.
At the New Jersey Digital Newspaper Project office, we’ve enjoyed seeing the stories, images, and advertisements these holidays bring and look forward to sharing more of these images!