The History of Christmas Cards

Oct 19, 2009 Author: admin | Filed under: Party Ideas

The Christmas cards custom came into existence in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole of England.

As the story goes, Sir Henry Cole had too many friends to hand compose Christmas notes to, so, he enlisted artist John Calcott Horsley to produce a card onto which he had imprinted “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”. That year, he typeset one thousand cards. Of those, twelve remain today.Soon, delivering Christmas cards became a standard formality all over the world.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Kate Greenaway, a popular childrens writer, created some of the most notorious Christmas cards.Her creations featured satin, silk, and fringe. Some were even elaborate pop-ups featuring skaters and tiny mangers.

In the United States, Christmas cards were not common until 1875 when a German immigrant, Louis Prang began printing them. BeforeUntil that year, Christmas cards were brought into the country from abroad.Unfortunately, Prang was forced out of business in the 1890’s when overseas printers produced lower priced cards. Still, Prang is known as the forefather of the American Christmas card.

The card industry saw many technical advancements during World War I with fierce competition between card companies.

In the 1930s the use of color lithography revitalized the industry.

The studio card, which used humor as an element of the card, originated in the 1950’s.

In the 1990’s, the electronic card, or e-card, was introduced.

Christmas cards today are available in many formats to appeal to the masses. From traditional and religious Christmas cards to cards with jokes, there is something for everyone. In fact, the industry has evolved so much that there is a card for virtually any event, or “non-event.” Still, Christmas remains the highest ranking of the card-selling holidays.

As a staple of the holidays, Christmas cards are sent to family, friends and business colleagues to express holiday wishes. With people’s busy lives, it is often the only time they update family and friends on events that happened in their lives during the year. The Christmas card has made many changes since its introduction in the 19th century, but the sentiment behind it is always the same: “Merry Christmas!”