The Unrequited Love" or "The Despondent Lover" Valentine Series -- "My love, vain are words here to relate

England, 1830. Very good. Light dust soiling. A rare example of one of the valentines produced for the so-called "Unrequited Love" or "Despondent Lover" valentine set, a highly sentimental series first produced in the 1830s. Most featured despondent lovers, but some featured happy or joyful scenes of love. This example does not feature the Addenbrooke name or 1828 watermark known in other examples, but appears contemporary. This example depicts a couple exiting a church wedding to happy onlookers, with a poem that reads: "My love, vain are words here to relate, The pleasures of a wedded state With anxious eye here gaze, Mark the sweet composure of the bride, Thus in example let her be your guide, Unite with me to dwell in Hymen's maze." Wove paper bifolium with embossed decorative border (10.25" by 8"), with hand colored aquatint in center. "On quarto size paper, each valentine of this series is adorned with a lightly embossed decorative border. The central picture of each shows a delightful aquatint, beautifully colored and finished by hand ... The set numbers fourteen in all, which was recognized as a regular 'valentine dozen'. The original publisher of this interesting series, which came out in the 1830s, is believed to be Addenbrooke" (Staff, "The Valentine and its Origins", p. 62).