DREGS OF SOCIETY VINTAGE: CHRISTMAS CARD HEAVEN

SEASONS GREETINGS

The sending of Christmas card has many stories accredited to it but i am going to go with the one that started in good old England back in 1843 by the first director of the Victoria & Albert Sir Henry Cole whom was far to busy to be write personal greetings to all of his acquaintances so decided to commission the artist John Calcott Horsley to illustrate a greeting he could send to one and all with just a simple signature. The card features 3 panels with a family enjoying the festivities of the season with the words A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You, and what a thing he started as the following year over 27000 Christmas card were sold and sent to loved ones. Though in the picture there was the clinking of glasses and this did cause quite a stir to be putting alcohol and religion on one page and the importing of cards from England to the US began then come 1975 it took the bright skills of a German Lithograph to publish the first print off of Christmas Cards in the US and he certainly became the Hallmark of the day as by 1881 he was printing 5 million cards a year. And nowadays we have other mediums of sending cards...bring in the E-card where you can design your own animations and Personalise your greetings and at the click of a button it can be sent to all corners of the globe. The theme of Christmas cards have changed with fashions over the years they started off depicting good deeds to be done like helping the starving or the elderly then they became a little jolly with lots of children frolicking with animals in winter scenes. he 20's saw the fashion set and art deco design and i love 1950's which had cutesome girls with jolly messages. I have chosen a few of my favourites here