Arts, Wimborne | Posted on February 6th, 2026 | return to news

Vicious Valentine’s Day cards on display at Wimborne museum

The Museum of East Dorset is promoting its collection of Victorian ‘Vinegar Valentines’ ahead of Valentine’s Day on 14 February.

If flowers, chocolate and declarations of love on Valentine’s Day are not your thing, head to the Museum of East Dorset in Wimborne Minster for a special display.

Long before awkward texts and social media pile-ons, the Victorians perfected passive aggression on paper. ‘Vinegar Valentines’ were openly insulting cards sent anonymously to people you didn’t like. The cards mocked people’s looks, their job, their personality and even their marriage prospects.

Popular from the 1840s onwards, Vinegar Valentines were cheaply produced and mass-posted, often anonymously, to discourage unwanted admirers or settle scores.

Some examples include: “My pleasant, pig-faced gentleman, you may persuade me to marry you if you can…!”

“From a lady to a rake, think not, gay deceiver, I’m a fond believer!”

“Your buttered words such love bespoke, but now it seems you’ll save your bacon…”

A sample of the museum’s collection of over 350 of these savage put-downs is on display all year round, but now is the perfect time to see them during the run-up to Valentine’s Day on 14 February.

Museum of East Dorset Curator Millie Lake said: “They’re shocking, funny and brutally honest, and they tell us so much about Victorian society.

“We talk a lot today about online trolling and character assassination, but the Victorians absolutely knew how to hit where it hurt, and they did it with paper, ink and a penny stamp.”

The collection is recognised as nationally significant and is believed to be one of the finest of its kind in the UK.

Alongside the Vinegar Valentines, visitors to the museum can see more classically romantic Victorian Valentines, complete with lace, embossing, vibrant colours and even early 3-D effects.

The museum offers a free annual pass with every admission ticket. For opening times and more details, visit www.museumofeastdorset.co.uk.