The Unrequited Love" or "The Despondent Lover" Valentine Series -- "Cease thy frolic fingers play

England, 1830. Very good. Light dust soiling, spotting.. 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 two lovers by a piano, with a poem that reads: "Cease thy frolic fingers play, Along each ivory key, Conscious it shrinks, less fair than they; Cease, and listen unto me, Hush every breeze and every rill, In truth, I'll ever love thee still." Wove paper bifolium with embossed decorative border (10" 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).