The Unrequited Love" or "The Despondent Lover" Valentine Series -- "Tis noon! all is hushed

England, 1830. Very good. Light toning/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 a despondent woman in a red dress in the forest, with a church in the far distance. The poem reads, "'Tis noon! all is hushed, still as night. Oh, spirit of sweet solitude, requite In my soft breast, one fond return, Of broken vows, for him I mourn; Yet sooth, my soul in soft sensation rise, For ah! She dear youth I must ever prize." Wove paper bifolium with embossed decorative border (10" by 8"), with hand colored aquatint in center.