Skip to main content

The Object of My Affection: stories of love from the Fitzwilliam collection

This exhibition is now in our archive.

Love is very much in the air in this exhibition, which contains objects alive with the range of emotions that it commands; from admiration and affection, joy and passion, longing and despair, to insults, indifference, grief and remembrance.

The exhibition showcases the Fitzwilliam Museum’s collection of valentines, which date from the 18th century to the 20th, and include a wide variety of sentimental and decorative types as well as comic examples. Alongside the valentines will be an assortment of other objects relating to the theme of love, including posy rings, love tokens and works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) and James Gillray (1756-1815).

Explore our films

Sign up to our emails

Be the first to hear about our news, exhibitions, events and more…

Sign up