This woman is called 'The Mother of the American Valentine' for redefining the day with her creativity

Valentine's Day is filled with various traditions to celebrate the experience of love. Esther Howland is considered to be the pioneer of popularizing these traditions in America. Her work in commercializing greeting cards had such a profound impact on the festival that she became known as "The Mother of the American Valentine," as per the Victorian Treasury. Apart from her contributions to the festival, she is also known for being one of the first women to become successful in business as a leader in America. Her cards were sold far and wide, with her sign on top in a day and age where women struggled to find work. To honor her, the Greetings Card Association has created the annual Esther Howland Award.

Howland's artistic talent was fostered in her family as they operated the largest book and stationery store in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her first brush with Valentine's Day happened in college due to the festivities organized for the event on the premises. Later on, they were banned for being too frivolous. At 19, she received a beautiful Valentine's Day card from one of her father's business associates and rather than losing her heart, she realized she could make them better. She used her well-placed connection and convinced her father to order lace paper and other supplies from England and New York City. She made 12 samples and gave them to her brother before his next sale trip.

The samples were a resounding success and his brother returned from the trip with $5000 in advance sales. It increased her family's confidence in her and they helped her set up this operation. She recruited friends and put in place her now-famous assembly line. For her promotions, she mainly depended on word-of-mouth from customers. According to Worcester History, she entered into a partnership with Edward Taft to establish the New England Valentine Company. It aided her in further advancing her business. Her beautiful designs soon became the talk of the town and she took home a revenue of $100,000 every year. Every card was invested with a lot of detail work to make them stand out. The handmade nature of the cards ensured that no two looked similar. For more than 30 years, she dominated the market. She was not the first person to create Valentine's in America, but her lace creations increased the scale of its popularity to another level.

After some competition entered the market, she began marking her initial 'H' in her works. Most of her cards aimed at bringing fantasy and romance together. She used figurines and intricate lace patterns to increase the appeal of the cards. This card available on display in the Met Museum was given to Mrs. Richard Riddell. It features the fantastical figure of a girl playing the flute in the romantic tones of blue and white. The message in the card was: "For though the wing of each fleet/ hour/ Shall brush some honey charm/ away/ Yet fear not, love, to lose the power,/ The soul that won can ne'er decay." Another of her cards featured in the Antique Trader had a couple in a loving embrace surrounded by lively colors like blue, red and golden. 

Unfortunately, in 1881, Howland had to retire from the business to take care of her ailing father. Eventually, she sold her portion to an associate, George Whitney, whose company patterned many of their cards on the Howland model. Even though she helped make many couples on Valentine's Day, she remained single throughout her life. It was her work that became her legacy in this world. From creating a million-dollar industry to rejuvenating the postal system, the beautiful cards changed many destinies. The masculine narrative dominates the world of business, making it hard for Howland's acumen to get the honor it deserves in the world. But every time a person exchanges cards with their love on Valentine's Day, her contributions shine bright.