Thine True Love Only, 19th C. Theorem Watercolor Forget Me Not Lucky Strikes cigarettes tin 14 1/4" tall x 7

14 1/4" tall x 7 1/2" wide with arms and legs hanging down

I love that the sides of the box are left exposed

where classmates included David Smith

and wonderful woolen clothes

the timeless gestures of the farmers and housewives

Thine True Love Only, 19th C. Theorem Watercolor Forget Me Not Lucky Strikes cigarettes tin 14 1/4" tall x 7In my book, it's always time for a valentine or love token, and what a lovely one is this, announcing the giver as "Thine True Love Only" no small thing! The text appears to have been stamped or block printed, the rest done in watercolor and ink by hand (using hand cut stencils, which is how theorems were made, and, I recently learned, the paint was often blown onto the paper via a glass tube, like a straw.) Especially great here I think is the smoke