Have you ever heard of a sailors’ Valentine? I knew nothing of this old tradition until I found this letter in my mailbox this morning.
Dear Pat,
I saw your article on the Sweetheart Pillows. My dad was in the Navy and I have a few put away in a cedar chest. I don’t think my mom ever used them. They are very interesting. What’s even more ironic is that I make sailor valentines. If you don’t know what they are, just do a search on them and you will see that the concept was very similar. Except these were octagonal boxes made of seashells. The whalers would bring these home for their sweetheart after being away for almost two years.
Kathy
Immediately, I went to eBay, and one seller, “bouvard15,” from the United Kingdom, is offering a Sailors’ Valentine that was made circa 1860, in Barbados. He notes that it is a “double.” You will understand what that means when you view the photo. This is a beautiful example! There is a heart on one side, and the words, “Remember Me,” on the other side. Boxes like this one are hinged and can be closed for safe transport and to keep the shells clean. I think that the picture says much more than I could. This is auction #200341855951.
Circa 1860 Sailors’ Valentine made in Barbados, photo courtesy of “bouvard15.” Click here to go to this auction.
Oh, my! I keyed in the words “sailors’ valentines” in a Google search and came up with 542,000 entries. Who knew?
The first site I visited was that of Lynda Susan Hennigan, a contemporary artist. Her work has been exhibited widely and she has been written about by the media. In the short history provided on her site, Lynda states that octagonal wooden boxes, made of Spanish cedar (cedrella), were decorated with shells.
According to Shannon Webster, a pair of brothers hired children to make these boxes which were sold in Barbados, a West Indies island, between 1830 and 1860, to English and American sailors. Upon returning home, these decorative boxes were presented to girlfriends or wives. Antique examples, when found, are now highly-prized and collected by individuals and museums, (sometimes whaling museums).
Due to their high prices, some artists today make their own, and it seems that this is a thriving craft, if the Internet is any indication.
The photo above shows just one of the lovely boxes created by contemporary artist, Gregg Roberts.
Gregg Roberts uses Honduran mahogany to create his Sailors Valentines. He sometimes does museum restoration work, and he teaches classes in the Spring and Autumn. He is willing to do commission work. He maintains a small museum (in Cape Cod, Massachusetts) that he opens to visitors, by appointment only. For more information about his work, please contact Gregg Roberts or visit his website.
One site, Sailors Valentines, sells supplies and well as finished boxes. One could spend a whole day, just enjoying the various sites dedicated to this work! There are many listings on eBay for supplies to make new examples of this item. Amazing!
Books about Seashells, shells for sale, examples of finished Sailors’ Valentine boxes, and the booklet, “How To Make A Sailors Valentine,” are available at www.seashells.com.
A DVD video on the subject of Sailors Valentines, by Bill Jordan, is for sale.
Kits for making a sailors’ valentine are sold here.
Hope you have enjoyed this file!
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
