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George Whitney (1842-1915)
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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.
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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." |
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Whitney mastered the art of the verse in his valentine
cards. Here are a few examples of "Whitney Made"
cards with inside verses.
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