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This tradition of stopping at some time in the business calendar to wish friends well has carried through from the pagan times of gift giving and good luck charms, to the Christianized version—the Christmas card.
Though some may feel that this exchange of greetings has a commercial tinge, most accept it as a sincere greeting stemming from the feeling of gratitude for the message of peace and good will.
Since 1839, printed Christmas cards have been exchanged. Two leading greeting card manufacturers who have famous collections of these cards have contributed much to the history of these now important greetings.
According to Rust Craft Publishers, Dedham, Mass., they have in their collection what is now thought to be the oldest printed card. It's one which fell out of an old Bible received from England by a rare book dealer. The simple printed message, "A Merry Christmas to You" appears on the front of a delicate paper lace "card" measuring just 4 by 2 3/4 inches. On the reverse is a handwritten script which helps to establish its age: "A Happy Christmas to My Dear Mother, 1839." The card was made by the London firm of Windsor and Pearce.
In the collection of Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., is another English card, long thought to be the oldest. It's 118 years old and was made at the suggestion of Sir Henry Cole. He asked an artist friend, J. C. Horsley of the Royal Academy, to design the card. It was printed by lithography on stiff cardboard 5 1/8 by 3 1/4 inches, in dark sepia, and hand colored. The design shows a family party in progress in the center panel, while on either side are panels representing Christmas charity. The message was again the simple, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You."
In 1846 this card was reproduced in an edition of 1000 and sold at Felix Summerly's Treasure House in London.
In the United States, Louis Prang of Boston is credited as being the “father of the American Christmas card." He perfected the lithographic process of multicolor printing in the 1870s, often using as many as twenty colors on his cards.
From these beginnings the tradition snowballed to the stage where millions of Christmas cards are exchanged each Holiday Season.
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The Origin of the Christmas Card
Since the beginning of time men have been greeting each other on the start of a new year, whether it was the Year of the Dog in China, the Roman, Saturnalia festival, or the marking of a new Egyptian year.This tradition of stopping at some time in the business calendar to wish friends well has carried through from the pagan times of gift giving and good luck charms, to the Christianized version—the Christmas card.
Though some may feel that this exchange of greetings has a commercial tinge, most accept it as a sincere greeting stemming from the feeling of gratitude for the message of peace and good will.
Since 1839, printed Christmas cards have been exchanged. Two leading greeting card manufacturers who have famous collections of these cards have contributed much to the history of these now important greetings.
According to Rust Craft Publishers, Dedham, Mass., they have in their collection what is now thought to be the oldest printed card. It's one which fell out of an old Bible received from England by a rare book dealer. The simple printed message, "A Merry Christmas to You" appears on the front of a delicate paper lace "card" measuring just 4 by 2 3/4 inches. On the reverse is a handwritten script which helps to establish its age: "A Happy Christmas to My Dear Mother, 1839." The card was made by the London firm of Windsor and Pearce.
In the collection of Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., is another English card, long thought to be the oldest. It's 118 years old and was made at the suggestion of Sir Henry Cole. He asked an artist friend, J. C. Horsley of the Royal Academy, to design the card. It was printed by lithography on stiff cardboard 5 1/8 by 3 1/4 inches, in dark sepia, and hand colored. The design shows a family party in progress in the center panel, while on either side are panels representing Christmas charity. The message was again the simple, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You."
In 1846 this card was reproduced in an edition of 1000 and sold at Felix Summerly's Treasure House in London.
In the United States, Louis Prang of Boston is credited as being the “father of the American Christmas card." He perfected the lithographic process of multicolor printing in the 1870s, often using as many as twenty colors on his cards.
From these beginnings the tradition snowballed to the stage where millions of Christmas cards are exchanged each Holiday Season.