San Francisco Center for the Book

Learn to make handmade valentines the historical way!

Before the advent of the commercial Valentine's card, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century folk made handwritten and hand-painted Valentines called puzzle purses for their friends and lovers. These valentines unfold like pinwheels from compact squares to reveal hidden messages and illustrations. Because the cards needed to be folded and read in a certain order, they were referred to as puzzle purses.

In this workshop, you'll learn about the history of the puzzle purse, see their traditional rhymes and forms of decoration, and try your hand at making a few of your own.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to bring:
All materials will be provided, but students are welcome to bring watercolors and other favorite art supplies that can be used on paper.

About the Instructor:
Jane Knoll (they/them) was the San Francisco Center for the Book's 2025 Type Devil. After an undergraduate in writing and printmaking from Bennington College and a diploma in bookbinding from North Bennet Street School, Jane was awarded two fellowships at the Boston Athenæum's conservation lab and worked as Assistant Book Conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Currently preparing for a master's in book conservation, Jane studies the archaeology of the book, with special interests in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century structures, folk repairs, and personalized bindings, and has two publications on the American scaleboard binding.