George Whitney (1842-1915)

The George C. Whitney valentine manufacturing company was in business from 1866 to 1942. What began as a wholesale stationery store on Main Street in Worcester, became, by 1888, one of the largest valentine publishers in this country with offices in New York, Boston, and Chicago. To eliminate the need to import the basic materials from England, he installed the machinery necessary to emboss paper and to make paper lace domestically.

The early Whitney valentines so closely resemble those made by Esther Howland that they often can be distinguished only by the small red "W" mark of the Whitney valentine, which usually appears on the back. Esther Howland's identifying symbols were a red "H" or an embossed "N.E.V. Co."

Whitney mastered the art of the verse in his valentine cards. Here are a few examples of "Whitney Made" cards with inside verses.