Victorian Vinegar Valentines Were For People You Didn't Like

I learned something new today.  Did you ever hear of “vinegar valentines”?  I first saw a mention of them earlier today.  While the sweet valentines we normally think of have been around for hundreds of years, the Victorians came up with the idea of vinegar valentines to send to people they disliked – anyone from a mean landlord to a spurned lover.
 
Sending valentines in general became more popular in the Victorian era because cards were mass-produced, cheap, and easy to send.  While many of the vinegar valentines attempted to be funny, some of them sank to being cruel.  I suppose it was the social media of the day. 
 
I certainly don’t want to sour anyone’s Valentine’s Day.  However, I thought some of the vinegar valentines were amusing, and offered an interesting historical perspective on how people thought at the time.  I couldn’t resist sharing some of my favorites.