Fancy Victorian Paper Lace Valentine with Couple, Cutaways, Diecuts and Handwritten Verses antique folk art mirror With black painted head and

With black painted head and split tail

and between states of matter

My little bit of research reveals that treads like these were often found on military boots/brogan

I have not touched the wood on this--there is some wear

I first purchased a batch of heart pips from this very same deck from a seller in Holland

Fancy Victorian Paper Lace Valentine with Couple, Cutaways, Diecuts and Handwritten Verses antique folk art mirror With black painted head andA handful of Victorian paper lace valentines today, because 'tis almost the season, and what a lovely thing to give to a beloved, including oneself. I'm fussy about ones I like, choosing these several from more than a hundred 19th c. examples I had the joy of perusing last weekend which had been collected over many years by a major Maine based paper dealer, whose collection was not long ago acquired by another Maine dealer and friend. This I believe