Valentines offer a historic volume of cultural attitudes, artistic creativity and symbolic motifs, plus a personal glimpse of real people and their sentimental values, said Jill Stoliker, curator of the Valentine exhibit at the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park.
"I enjoy telling the story of each Valentine, what it took to manufacture, and the place it has in the time line of history," said Stoliker, of Camarillo, a collector for more than two decades.
Stoliker on Sunday will present "Valentine Traditions Through the Centuries" at the museum. Her talk will coincide with this year's Valentine exhibit, featuring numerous Valentines in her personal collection. They will be on display through Feb. 22.
"Valentines are just fun; everyone loves Valentines, and they evoke happy memories," Stoliker said. "We want people ... to know about the Stagecoach Inn Museum and have fun discovering the local history of our community."
According to legend, third-century Christian priest Valentinus defied Emperor Claudius II and was imprisoned awaiting his execution on Feb. 14, 270 A.D., Stoliker said.
"He used this time to send encouraging and heartfelt letters and messages to the people under his care, signing them ‘From your Valentine,' " she said.
Stoliker's talk is significant because she began collecting Valentines more than 20 years ago, said Cynthia Bengston, a board member with the Conejo Valley Historical Society, which is in charge of the museum.
"Jill has loved Valentines all her life. As she collected each one, she researched them and the era they were from," Bengston said. "She became addicted to them and loved the stories behind them."
The exhibit features a collection of all sorts of Valentines dating back as early as the 1700s.
"They tell their own history of different eras, different economies, progress, events of the world at any particular time," Bengston said. "Each time frame represented is so very unique and delightful to experience."
On the main floor of the museum, Valentines are identified by era and the type of manufacture. On the second floor, they are categorized by subject, including candy boxes and children's motifs.
"The large cabinet in the dining room contains the earliest examples, including a handmade devotional love token from the 1700s," Stoliker said.
Other Valentines from the first half of the 1800s feature calligraphy, woodcut print, watercolor paint, embossing, lace patterns and other embellishments. A small case features "insult" Valentines, while the parlor contains Victorian Valentines.
"Jill's enthusiasm for Valentines and history is magical and catching," Bengston said. "I've heard people say they have to go online to try to find some of their own."
Museum Director Sandra Hildebrandt was full of praise for the collection.
"Jill has an amazing collection and every year the whole thing grows," Hildebrandt said. "It's a wonderful opportunity to see these old Valentines. Some of them are so charming, especially the Civil War Valentines. They just make your heart sing."