Collection consists of one hundred and fifteen handmade valentine cards. It contains examples of American, English, and German cards dating from the 1830s through the 1880s. The cards are in excellent condition with many containing poems and signed by the sender. In addition, there are a few envelopes found among these materials.
Biographical / Historical:
Olive Mae Leavister was born on December 16, 1913 in Kansas City, Missouri. She moved to the Washington, DC metropolitan area sometime in the 1930s where she met her husband Charles D. Leavister. She was a charter member of the Maryland Doll Club and frequently gave lectures at doll and antique meetings. In addition, Mrs. Leavister also collected toys, children's books, holiday postcards, sewing objects, candy containers, Christmas ornaments, and valentines. Olive Mae Leavister died on June 20, 1990.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, on July 11, 1990, by Seymour Lazerowitz. Mr. Lazerowitz purchased the cards from Olive Leavister prior to her death.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Olive Leavister 19th Century Handmade Valentine Collection, 1830s-1880s, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Seymour A. Lazerowitz in honor of Olive Leavister.
