Valentine’s Day cards were first massed produced in the United States in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland, who was known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” according to History.com.
Today, starting weeks before the day of romance, derivatives of Howland’s massed-produced lacy, colorful cards are offered for sale in a number of retail outlets – pharmacies, supermarkets, craft shops, card shops, convenience stores – similar to the local store where Kathleen Speaker was employed during 1978.
