Victorian Valentine Card with Cherub and Flowers, 1906

What exactly is Cupid trying to accomplish with that red ribbon dangling toward the water? Winged, pink-draped, and apparently having a full breakdown, he lies prone at the edge of some water inside a heart-shaped frame, dangling the ribbon toward what appears to be a tiny figure or object below the surface, while a large decorative vase of roses looms behind him like a passive-aggressive houseplant. The posture screams less 'adorable emissary of love' and more 'toddler who dropped their phone in the toilet and is absolutely not okay about it.' Meanwhile, the right side of the card features a cornucopia spilling pink flowers and a ribbon bow, because when you think 'I love you,' decorative gourd overflow is obviously the way to express it. Copyright 1906 by H.I. Robbins of Boston — a man who clearly believed romance was best conveyed through cherubic existential crisis.