Raphael Tuck & Sons, "The Poinsettia" series of Christmas Post Cards,
No. 506, embossed, 1908
A family member recently gave us a scrapbook, its yellowing pages a treasure trove of carefully preserved greeting cards from the early 1900s.
By far, the Christmas greetings are the album's colorful cards. They range from elaborate affairs on embossed copper foil to simple depictions of kittens batting at baubles.
The custom of sending holiday greetings in America was in its fourth decade by the time most of these cards were sent and received, roughly 1900 to 1910. Yet it's clear that these cards were treasures to preserve for future generations for the Norwegian immigrants who sent and received them.
According to American Greetings, the very first Christmas card, a printed and hand-painted Victorian scene inscribed with "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You," was created by Englishman John Calcott Horsley in 1846.
circa 1910
Passage of the Penny Postage Act in 1846 allowed British citizens to send a letter anywhere in the country for one cent, and within 10 years, Christmas cards were a popular custom in England.
Louis Prang, a German immigrant who settled in Boston in 1850, is credited with establishing the Christmas card in the United States, according to American Greetings. Prang perfected the multicolor printing process in the 1870s, often using as many as 20 colors on one card. By 1881, he was printing five million cards per year. His vivid designs helped to popularize the cards in American society.
Even in times of cutting edge cards featuring popular cartoon characters, the classic images of a century and a half ago -- fireplaces, snow, wide-eyed children, and Santa Claus remain popular. Following is a selection of vintage cards gleaned from the family scrapbook.
| Click on any card for a larger image. | |
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