Romance is about expressing love and devotion intentionally, transparent, and deeply intimate way. A romantic gesture can be dramatic or passionate, though it can also express enduring affection with a smaller gesture.
The word romantic comes from the Latin word Romanus or Romanicus, which means “Roman” or “from Rome.” Throughout the Middle Ages, the French used the term romanz, which means “of the Roman vernacular,” to describe both a type of Latin speech and the literature written in that vernacular style, which typically centers around knights, chivalry, or passion. Over time, the word “romance” became associated with dramatic love stories in general.
This explains why romance today is often associated with extravagant acts of affection between lovers. Here are some vintage postcards showing romantic couples from the 1950s and 1960s.
