Holiday Cards History
What is now a tradition ingrained into our society
, the sending of Holiday Cards to greet loved ones, acquaintances and business associates is really not a particularly old habit of the Western World.It wasn't until the year 1843 that a gentleman in England, Sir Henry Cole, commissioned the first commercially-produced Christmas Card. Prior to that, it was common to send hand-written greetings to loved ones at the holidays. However Sir Henry had made it his goal to spread the word about the needs of the less fortunate and yet had so many recipients to send out to that he was unable to foresee the completion of his task. At that time, he engaged English Academic Artist John Callcott Horsley to paint an image for reproduction on 1000 cards, with the final count being reported at 2500. Excess cards are said to have been sold at 1 schilling each (less than 10 cents US. As a side note: One of those original cards was sold at auction in 2005 for approximately $34000.). Although Sir Henry's intentions were well and good, there was a backlash against his actions as the card, designed in triptych format, depicted a family with young children enjoying a lavish meal, including each toasting with a glass of wine which raised the eyebrows of the moral defenders of the time. Sir Henry did not send Christmas cards the next year; however the custom caught on anyway and many other enterprising artists and printers have carried on the tradition.
It wasn't until nearly 30 years later that Americans caught on to the craze of sending commercially-produced Christmas cards. Prior to that time, they were primarily manufactured in England and Germany and had to be imported. Cards of the time featured images appropriate to the fashion of the day, be it cards that depicted flowers and spring-time remembrances to take the mind of the recipient off the long, harsh winter or cards elaborately-festooned with fringe and bits of silk during Victorian times. But rarely did they include religious images until more recent times.
Many businesses send holiday cards as an act of goodwill and to generate loyalty amongst their customers and clients. Business holiday cards are generally secular in nature and mention the name of the business with a simple greeting. Thanksgiving Cards and New Years Cards have become popular alternatives to the traditional Christmas Card for many businesses, avoiding the secular vs. religious issue when choosing cards and printed greetings, although Calendar Cardsremain a popular option for keeping the business name in front of consumers throughout the year.
Although the ease of electronic and tele-communications has led to a decrease in the number of printed holiday cards mailed each year, the industry estimates that 1.9 billion cards were mailed during the holiday season of 2005. It appears this is one tradition that will be with us for a long while yet.
Holiday Cards History
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