Love's Messenger: Victorian Tokens of Affection
Few men today – and even fewer women – would want to return to the strictly regulated rituals of Victorian romance. Free to choose, to act and to respond according to the heart's wishes – rather than society's dictates – modern lovers make their own rules. But nostalgia surrounds the Victorian legacy, and in a world of mass-produced and disposable cards, many long for the handmade and heartfelt keepsakes of the past. Don't be deceived by the whimsical appearance of Victorian valentines; these confections of paper lace and scraps of silk and artificial flowers were serious symbols of honorable intentions. Dr. Debra Mancoff, a scholar in residence at Chicago's Newberry Library and Adjunct Professor of Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will explore Victorian valentines and the traditions that made them "Love's Messenger," the most sincere communication from heart to heart.
In addition to fulfilling her teaching duties and keeping up with a busy lecture schedule, Dr. Mancoff has authored Flora Symbolica: Flowers in Pre-Raphaelite Art (2003), Monet's Garden in Art (2001), Van Gogh's Fields and Flowers (1999) and Mary Cassatt: Reflections of Women's Lives (1998). Her work on the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago includes Treasures from the Art Institute of Chicago (2001), Sunflowers (2001), "Highlights of the Exhibition" for Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South (2001) and Love's Messenger: Tokens of Affection in the Victorian Age (1997).
When and where to hear this lecture: Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 10 a.m., Lakeview Museum, 1125 West Lake Ave., Peoria, Illinois.
Other programs in the Fine Arts Society's 2006-2007 lectures series: "Lyonel Feininger, Our Cubist Cousin" with Dr. Esther Sparks, "Ansel Adams: A Son's Perspective" with Dr. Michael Adams, "Five Women Artists We Should Know About and Why" with Dr. Judith W. Mann, "The Trials, Travels and Triumphs of a Public Sculptor" with Fisher Stolz, "The Roots of Modern Art in Brazil" with Dr. José M. Neistein and "More Than Meets the Eye: The Art of Trompe L‘Oeil" with Dr. Erik Denker.
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