The Victorian era was supposedly one marked by self denial, prudishness and a lack of light-hearted humour. However, the strong moral sensibilities and traditional values that were de rigueur at that time have often been wrongly understood to give the idea that there was no romance, no playful joy and no fun in relationships at that time.

However, ephemera and postcards from that period indicate that the above commonly-held viewpoint is far from accurate. Whilst it is true that some postcards support the popular impression of the time, there is always an underlying current of spirited jesting, and gentle banter:

Some attractive though conservative examples below from the Remember When Vintage Postcards Catalogue:

These paint a romantic rosy glow over relationships which is not often paid tribute to when looking back on Victorian times.

And some cheeky examples of everyday interactions which don’t quite agree with many of our ideas of the time period:

There are however, various degrees of mischievous romantic references. I love  Jenn Thorson’s blog post on the excellent Thift Shop Romantic showcasing some very saucy Victorian colour postcards:

This one is a particular favorite: