Very Rare Large Antique Penny Dreadful / Vinegar Valentine / 1850s - 1890s - Gymnast - Gym Rat

"GYMNAST."

Oh! aint your muscle big and hard ?

But a secret let me tell you, pard:

Your brain grows less as your muscle grows big,

And in few more years you won't be worth a fig,

Unless you give your brains a chance,

And not give all your time to this athletic dance.

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This is a very rare large antique Penny Dreadful / Vinegar Valentine with 8 lines of verse. Most likely printed in the USA between the 1850s to late 1800s. Sourced from a collection of Vinegar Valentines, all from the same era. The full print is shown in the first photo. Other photos show details from the print. The last photo shows how the print might look when matted and framed.

Penny Dreadfuls /Vinegar Valentines were a popular phenomenon from the 1840s to the 1940s, although the British Postal Museum has a copy from 1790. Some of the caricatures were drawn by the American cartoonist Charles Howard in the 1870s. The rhymes and drawings were not just amusing, but were also downright cruel, very mean-spirited, and insulting.

Single sheet, toned paper with beautiful patina; some creasing on edges. It is very rare to find them in this size and in such good condition, especially since they were usually printed on cheap paper (they used to sell for a penny, hence the name "Penny Dreadful").

The only reference we've seen to a Vinegar Valentine about this size was in the British Postal Museum & Archive Blog, now known as the Postalmuseum.org

Size of sheet: approx. 9 inches x 21.25 inches (23 cm x 54 cm)

This is an original published between the 1850s to late 1800s, not a reproduction! Bananastrudel sells only originals. The Bananastrudel watermark does not appear on the print.Size of sheet: approx. 9 inches x 21.25 inches (23 cm x 54 cm)

Shipped rolled in a tube.

Note: The politically incorrect material reflects the spirit of the past, and is by no means reflective of our philosophy!