25 Valentine's Day Pictures from the 19th-20th Century


Brace yourself. Valentine’s Day pictures are coming!
But I have a confession to make…
I’m really not that into celebrating the day itself, but I LOVE curating images for it and crafting. Sooo maybe I’m not such a curmudgeon about it after all?

Getting ready for the scanner and Pixlr!

If you follow this site regularly, you may have noticed some reshuffling happening too. There’s a lot I’m working on, from user experience to bringing in “new” vintage illustrations for 2018. There’s a lot on my plate, and one of my first projects is revamping the Valentine’s Day section. That’s why this post is so ginormous.

I wanted to do something a little different for this new section, so instead of traditional bows and arrows, cherubs, and valentines, I included more nature illustrations, symbols, and colors that aren’t always associated with traditional Valentine’s Day pictures but work perfectly.
If you’d rather head straight to the images, I’ve added these Valentine’s Day pictures to the gallery already. As for sourcing, these images were all curated and edited from my big box of vintage postcards (see above), trading cards, ads, and scraps – all dating to around the 19th to early 20th century. Please use, re-imagine, and modify these images to your liking.

If you’re after vintage illustrations of roses, or just large range of flowers, we’ve got you covered. You’ll also find some additional free resources and hacks sprinkled through this post as well.
So without further ado, I bring you my Valentine’s Day explosion!

How to Make Collages with Valentine’s Day Pictures

Before I delve into collage hacks, I had to take a moment and admire my little vintage fishbowl illustration above. It’s tiny, but it’s my favorite in the collection.
Anyhoo. Here are some collage hacks I wish I had when I was a kid.

  • Yes Paste – When I started making more intricate, detailed collages, this stuff was magic. Really wish I had it when I was a kid. You can dilute it with water for a smooth consistency. But the best part is that you can easily smooth it down without air bubbles.
  • X-ACTO knife – Unfortunately, I’m working with a bulky X-ACTO box cutter because I’m too lazy to get smaller one, but it works great too lol! But yeah, I definitely suggest getting a small X-ACTO for collages.
  • Modge Podge – Needs no explanation. Just use it. On ALL your collages.
  • Prisma Colored Pencils – These are literally like butter. Art butter! Anyhoo, these are wonderful for drawing on anything, especially if you like doing mixed-media collages with Valentine’s Day pictures.

How to Send Valentines Online for Free

Let’s take a moment to thank the internet for providing so many ways to send valentines for free. Thank you, internet! Along with using any of the Valentine’s Day pictures in this post, you can also use the following sites and free services to send personalized valentines to loved ones.

You can also create your own valentines from scratch online using Pixlr, Fotor, or Paint.net, for example.

10 Best Valentines Day Cartoons

I’m not into rom-coms, but I can watch cartoons for days, especially those Peanuts holiday specials. You too can relive the nostalgia with these 5 cartoons for Valentine’s Day.

  1. Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
  2. A Charlie Brown Valentine
  3. Disney’s Beauty and the beast
  4. Wall-E
  5. I love the Chipmunks Valentines Day Special (1984)

5 Projects You Can Do with Valentine’s Day Pictures

Hey! There’s more to Valentine’s Day crafts than just valentines. Here are a few alternative craft projects you can make with Valentine’s Day pictures:

  • Make origami hearts, birds, and envelopes
  • Create a Valentine’s Day frame
  • Decoupage a keepsake box
  • Print vintage illustrations on paint color strips
  • Create embroidered Valentine’s Day gifts

Want More Free Valentine’s Day Pictures?
Like and share this site whenever you can! You can also like and follow FreeVintageillustrations.com on Facebook.
Oh yeah, one more image before I go.

Hope everyone has a great Valentine’s Day!

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