Although the Roman Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus (all of whom were martyred on February 14, remarkably), historians believe that the romanticised element of how Valentine's Day is celebrated today came from a priest who was martyred by Emperor Claudius II (also known as Gothicus) around 270 AD.
St Valentine's was either remembered for marrying couples in secret to prevent men going off to war, or for healing the blind, or for writing a message to his daughter signed "your Valentine".
Later, medieval Europeans are said to have believed that birds began to mate on February 14, the traditional start of spring in the northern hemisphere. Many birds mate for life so they became a symbol of fidelity.
During this time, people began to send love letters on Valentine's Day, with the first "official" valentine sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans in 1415. Imprisoned in the Tower of London following the battle of Agincourt, he passed the time by writing love poems to his wife, which she never received but are now housed in the British Museum.
The Whanganui Regional Museum has a collection of Victorian Valentine's Day cards which were donated in the early 1940s by Miss Olive Russell. The style of the cards dates them to the mid to late 1800s, with their elaborate paper lacework, embossing and other intricate designs which were common printing techniques and designs in this era.
The cards feature typical imagery of flowers, love knots, birds and Cupids. The flowers featured on Valentine's Day cards sent their own message: a red rose for love, a yellow rose for friendship, a yellow carnation for refusal, a daisy for innocence, a daffodil for regard, a tulip for comfort and warmth, a blue violet for faithfulness, to name but a few.
Although hearts were sometimes used, Victorian cards did not feature the ubiquitous red hearts that are typical of Valentine's cards today.
The start of mass production of cards in factories during the 1800s, as well as the advent of the postal service and the penny stamp in 1840, led Valentine's Day to become popular in all walks of life.
As these cards are unmarked, we do not know who the intended recipient was, but as Olive never married and the cards predate her birth, it is likely to be her grandparents or parents.
Olive's grandfather was William Spiers Russell who was a member of the 65th Regiment. He is remembered as the original founder of the Rutland Hotel in 1849. Russell and Spiers streets in Aramoho are named after him.
He and his wife Elizabeth, née Weller, were married in London in 1841 and then immigrated to New Zealand and spent their remaining lives in Whanganui, as did their son John Spiers Russell who farmed in the Aramoho area. John married Beatrice Davis at Christ Church, Whanganui, in 1881 and they had seven children together.
• Trish Nugent-Lyne is the collection manager at the Whanganui Regional Museum
