The Christmas cards tradition was introduced in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole of England.
As the story goes, Sir Henry Cole had too many co-workers to hand write Christmas tidings to, so, he employed artist John Calcott Horsley to fashion a card onto which he had copied “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”. He had one thousand cards imprinted.Now, only twelve exist. Before long, people all over the world begansending Christmas cards.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Christmas cards created by Kate Greenaway, the Victorian childrens writer and illustrator, were popular. Her cards featured satin, silk, and fringe. Some were even elaborate pop-ups featuring skaters and tiny mangers.
In the US, Christmas cards were imported and something of a luxury until, in 1875, a German immigrant, Louis Prang, began to produce them in Boston.Prior to to then, Americans imported Christmas cards from England. In the 1890’s, Prang could not compete with cheaper cards published abroad and went out of business. Even so, Prang is known as the father of the American Christmas card.
Advancements in production of card making happened during WWI with fierce competition amongst card publishers.
The invention of color lithography in the 1930s completely revamped the industry.
A major change in greeting cards in the 1950’s was the introduction of staple cards. These cards, for the first time, used humor as an element.
With the introduction of e-mail in the 1990’s, electronic cards or ‘e-cards’ became widely popular.
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.
Christmas cards are a staple of the holidays. People send them to family and friends, as well as business colleagues, to show them that they care. Some use Christmas cards as a way of updating family and friends about events that have happened in their lives during the year. They are always evolving; from e-cards to written letters chronicling the year, to picture postcards, the warm sentiment is always there: Merry Christmas!
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