The History of Christmas Cards

Sir Henry Cole, the founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, found one year that he had so many Christmas greetings to send that handwriting them had become impossible. Rather than let any single person down due to this and to ensure he continued to spread his messages of encouraging people to share at Christmas time, he came up with a solution. In 1843, he commissioned John Calcott Horsley to paint a card showing the feeding and clothing of the poor whilst the centre panel displayed a happy family embracing one another, sipping wine and enjoying the festivities.

The message printed onto the card read "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". Although the card drew criticism, because showing a child enjoying a sip of wine was considered "fostering the moral corruption of children", the custom became popular and has stood the test of time.

Early English cards rarely showed winter or religious themes, instead favouring flowers, fairies and other fanciful designs that reminded the recipient of the approach of spring. Humorous and sentimental images of children and animals were popular, as were increasingly elaborate shapes, decorations and materials. The advent of the postcard spelled the end for elaborate Victorian-style cards, but by the 1920s, cards with envelopes had returned.

Throughout the 20th Century, the production of Christmas cards was a profitable business for many stationery manufacturers, with the design of cards continually evolving with changing tastes and printing techniques. The two World Wars brought cards with patriotic themes. In the 1950s, cards with cartoon illustrations and sometimes risque humour caught on. Nostalgic, sentimental, and religious images have continued to be popular whilst as we move into the 21st century, reproductions of Victorian and Edwardian cards are now easy to obtain. In recent decades changes in technology have caused a decline in the number of cards sent as Email and telephones allow for more frequent contact and many websites offer free email Christmas cards.

Despite the decline, the sending of cards remains an important gesture and one that is always gratefully received. Many businesses, from small local businesses to multi-national enterprises, send Christmas cards to people on their customer lists as a way develop general goodwill, retain brand awareness and reinforce social networks. The practice harkens back to trade cards of the 18th century, an ancestor of the modern Christmas card.