George Whitney was a New England valentine maker who started The Whitney Valentine Co. in 1865 . In 1869 he formed a a partnership with his brother, the name of the company was then changed to Whitney Manufacturing Co. Like all others he imported his lace paper from England, and his colored scraps and ornaments from Germany. In the early days, the valentines were marked wtih red 'W', which matched the 'H' of Esther Howland in size and style. Some valentines only have a numeral and no numbers. His embossed envelopes bear the embossed imprint of 'Whitney, Worcester'. For more information on Whitney see The Valentine & Its Origins by Frank Staff.
