1. Esther Howland was an artist and entrepreneur who was responsible for popularizing Valentine's Day greeting cards in America.
16 Facts About Esther Howland
1. 2.
Esther Howland's brothers were William, Samuel and Joseph Howland.
3.
Shortly after graduating from Mount Holyoke College at the age of 19, Esther Howland received a valentine card from a business associate of her father's.
4.
Esther Howland made a dozen samples that her salesman brother added to his inventory for his next sales trip for their father's business.
5.
Esther Howland built a thriving business in Worcester, Massachusetts using an assembly line of friends to copy designs and help construct the cards.
6.
Esther Howland was in charge of cutting the basic design for the individual valentine while the assembly group was responsible for carefully copying each card.
7.
Esther Howland hired women who had to work from home by preparing a box with all the materials required.
8.
Esther Howland came up with the idea of using silk and embossing lithograph ornaments.
9.
Esther Howland suffered a knee injury in 1866 that forced her to be in a wheelchair.
10.
In 1870, Esther Howland incorporated her business as the New England Valentine Company.
11.
Esther Howland continued to work from her home until 1879 when she moved to a factory.
12.
In 1870, Esther Howland merged her business with one of her competitors, Edward Taft.
13.
Esther Howland's cards were shipped nation-wide and her business eventually grossed over $100,000 per year.
14.
Esther Howland eventually sold the business to a competitor, George Whitney, in 1880 in order to take care of her sick father.
15.
Esther Howland died in her home at 9 Adams St in Quincy.
16.
Esther Howland introduced the layering of lace, use of thin paper, three-dimensional accordion effects, and a bouquet in which flowers would move to reveal a verse when pulled by a string.