First Victorian Christmas Card

First Victorian Christmas Card~

Old Victorian
Christmas Card

Well, Its the last day of November my dearest friends
& followers and I thought I would look for some Holiday
spirited tales. For today---the
Victorian Christmas Card which
in fact was a postcard---to spread the Christmas
cheer to friends and family. It seems that
the first Christmas cards were
created by an Victorian theme from
antique engraving. The Victoriana
Magazine would hand-color on cardstock
paper cut on the dotted line and then your own message you can write to your friends and family. Theses were the first Christmas cards of cheer. This was the beginning of sending Christmas greeting cards in the Victorian Era.

Very old Victorian
Christmas Card

Although the engravers who produced the wooden prints with many religious themes in the European Middle Ages, the first commercial Christmas New Years's card is believed to have been designed and printed in London, England in 1843. It was John Callcott Horsley[1817-1903], a British narrative painter and a Royal Academician who designed the very first Christmas & New Year's card at the request of his friend Sir Henry Cole---First director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. It seems that Sir Henry Cole had a special design made to send to just their friends at Christmas to see how the holiday Christmas card is welcomed by family/friends first, rather that doing the entire public. Then in 1843 a special edition of

First Christmas Card printed
1,000 placed on sale in London

1,000 of these Christmas cards were printed and placed on sale in London. One would think the first Christmas Card would have instant success, however, it was brought with disapproval and fear that the card would encourage drunkenness.
The following year other printmakers and Christmas card makers launched other types of cards, but it was not until the idea had grown out of favor among the artist and literary circles that it was taken up by a business man by the name --- Goodall.
Well, you see Goodall was a British publisher of Charles Goodall & Son.  He was also one of the first to mass produce Christmas Cards too.

In 1866, Goodall commissioned Messrs. Marcus Ward & Co.; of Belfast to lithograph, for his firm a set of four designs by C. H. Bennett. The following year Goodall had another set commissioned by the same artist [eight designs in all]. With all eight designs of holly, mistletoe, to be some---were the forerunners of today's Chrismas Cards. At the time, it gave unheard of opportunities for artists, writers, and engravers in the late 1800's. Then in 1880 the Christmas card had a great prize for the most artistic designers in London. It was a great London firm that offered five hundred guineas for the best Christmas Design. So in 1880 many great artists of the day responded with their best ideas, these artists included some know as; Kate Greenaway, Walter Crane, Thomas Crane and so many others. In this contest created so many famous 19th-century artists for their greeting card designs---plus many literary writers, poets saw the opportunity to give beauty with their words to the Christmas cards. Thousands of pounds in London was spent to find the perfect poems, quotes, and sentiments that would be suitable for these Christmas Yuletide Cards to help them reach the climax of their literary and artistic excellence.

The Original Horsley' Christmas Card

The original copy of Horsley's Christmas Card is considered very rare---The Christmas card was reproduced from the original design by chromolithography in 1881 and then copies of this reprinted were issued in 1955 can still be found today.
The Original Card above is one of only 18 that were produced over 167 years ago and still is known to exist, was auctioned off in 2010 and sold for $7000. This particular card was sent to a 'Miss Rusby' From an "H. Vernon'. Produced by Sir Henry Cole and Published by Summerly's Home Treasury Office, 12 Old Bond Street London.

It's kinda fun to see how our Christmas beginning started. This is just yet one of many to come I hope. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story my dears. Love you all very much! Your friend always 

Here are a few Old Victorian Christmas Cards

ENJOY

WENDY