A Heartfelt Collection

From the collection of Sonia Fetherson

With the cold Canadian winter comes the warming thoughts of Valentine’s Day. The following Sherlockian valentines are from the collection of Sonia Fetherston, an American Sherlockian who has contributed various articles to this journal. Sonia has been collecting for fewer than five years and has about 75 vintage Sherlockian valentine cards. The oldest is a 1906 postcard (featured on page 26), while the newest are a couple of Cumberbatch fan art cards. Sonia’s favourite era is the 1940s, which has a huge variety that she believes is due to the popularity of Rathbone’s movies and radio programs.

Common denominators: most have the deerstalker and magnifying glass, though many also have pipes. For most of them, the Holmes figure is a boy or man, with Holmes portrayed as an animal (bears, bunnies, even pigs) second. In a few, Holmes is a female.

Sonia also collects vintage Sherlock Holmes-themed birthday cards, Christmas cards, get well cards, etc.

The above article appears in Canadian Holmes, Volume 42 Number 1 – Winter 2018/2019.