London Files: 5 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas from the V&A
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day!
I’m sharing some possible gift ideas from my visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
1. Jewelry for Her
The lover’s knot design is perfect for the holiday.
Lover’s Knot, enamel and gold
Or, perhaps a diamond piece or two…or three…
Late Georgian Era Diamonds
2. A New Gown?
Something elegant please, like one of these:
A Robe a L’anglaise
A Gown made from Anna Maria Garthwaite’s silk design
An 1805 design
Or, if your Valentine is a seamstress, perhaps some silk fabric designed in 18th century Spitalfields by Anna Maria Garthwaite.
Anna Maria Garthwaite’s silk designs
And new shoes are always nice…
Some very fancy shoes
3. Or, you could treat your Valentine to a complete redo of your parlour or drawing room.
Some rather dark interior decorating a la the Henrietta Street Parlour
Or perhaps just a new piece of furniture like this teapoy:
A Teapoy
4. For the musically-inclined, what could be better than a new harpsichord?
5. And if your Love is the sporty type, why not a new crossbow?
Crossbows
Bonus! For the gentleman in your life, why not a document case and a peerage patent, like this one given to the 1st Earl of Abingdon by Charles II?
Since my Valentine is American, he’s prohibited from bearing a title, but he’ll always be my Prince! He and I usually limit ourselves to the traditional chocolate, flowers, and greeting cards, but, hmm, those crossbows look pretty interesting.
What’s on your Valentine’s Day wishlist?
Heart meme is from Stencil.com, all the rest of the images are the authors.