Exquisite Mid 19th C. Watercolor Valentine with Flip Up Handwritten Fortunes folk art buildings 11 1/8" x 7 1/8"

11 1/8" x 7 1/8"

And on the underside of the box

or any others with the "Stanup" brand trademark for that matter

with his cape showing spectacularly rich lapis blue with gold trim and details

7 1/16" across at handle

Exquisite Mid 19th C. Watercolor Valentine with Flip Up Handwritten Fortunes folk art buildings 11 1/8" x 7 1/8"A rare and special thing this one, a fortune telling valentine of sorts, which I purchased from a great paper dealer in Pennsylvania, who had kept it in his personal collection for some years. A gorgeous watercolor taken at face value, but under most every leaf and bloom is a hidden message, revealed when one flips that bit up (and so a pretty intricate work of cut paper, too.) I especially love the fact that many of those messages are the opposite of