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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Historical Materials from University of Nebraska- Extension Lincoln Extension 1965 EC65-533 Christmas in an Envelope Clara Leopold Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist Leopold, Clara, "EC65-533 Christmas in an Envelope" (1965). Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. 3726. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/extensionhist/3726 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Extension at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. E.C. 65-5 33 illQri!itma!i tu• au fuurlnpr EXT E N S ION SERVIC E UNI V ERS I T Y OF N E BRASK A COLLE GE O F AGRICULTU RE AND H O M E ECON O MI C S AND U . S . D E PARTMENT O F AGR I CULTURE COO P E RATIN G E . F . FRO LIK . DEAN E . W . .JANIK E. DIR E CTO R --~ .,.;,i\\,,.,~,~hrhdmas tu• au 1£uurlnpr By Mrs. Clara N. Leopold State Extension Specialist, Home Management The exchange of greetings between friends is as old as mankind. Research into the history of this practice which led grad­ ually to our modern Christmas card reveals a fascinating history of the social customs , folklore, art and fashion styles of other times and races. Man has always found some means to express greetings and salutations upon appropriate occasions. The prehistories left a flower or a bright feather at the entrance to some primitive cave, or, later, scratched their friendly message in signs on stones or pieces of bark. The Egyptians had their gorgeously illuminated papyrus greetings. Medieval European swains conveyed the affectionate thoughts of the sender when they tossed a glove, a kerchief, garters or a knot of ribbon through the window of some fair damsel. The Chinese have exchanged New Year greetings for centuries. In the 15th century master wood en­ gravers produced inscribed prints which had the same intent as the modem Christmas and New Year cards. One of these woodcuts w as found in the Rhine Valley of Germany. It has a religious theme showing the Christ child standing in the bow of an ancient galley, manned by angels, with the Holy Mother seated at the mast. The inscrip­ tion reads: "Here I come from Alexandria and bring many good years to give gener­ ously. I give them for almost no money and only God's love my reward." All these are manifestations of the basic social urge to communicate. 3 PERSONAL GREETING CARDS IN ENGLAND _________ Authorities do not agree as to the exact Egley's card gives a treasury of facts date when formal Christmas cards were first about the customs of that early Victorian us ed . Some maintain that the first card was period. He must have drawn on his mem­ designed and used in 1842 by a 16-year-old ories of Christmas pleasures for the t en English lad named William Egley , Jr. , an scenes, showing steps of an old English engraver's apprentice. Others, including country dance, a happy family group, a George Buday, an Englishman w ho has woman distributing food to the poor, another written a book e ntitled "History of the giving clothing, top-hatted ice skaters Christmas Card , " contend that the so-called e njoying their favorite sport, a happy pan­ Cole-Horsley card w as the first card. tomime, a puppet show and carol singers-­ all entwined with vines and fruit to make a Part of the basis for di sagreement has single picture of the various scenes . There been the fact that the date on the et ching is space following the words "To" and plate for Egley's card has bee n distorted, "From" which would indicate the names of probably from hav ing fallen and smashing frie nds were to be filled in and the card was the comer. Buday has substantial evidence to be signed by the sender . that the correct date is 1848 and not 1842 . In 1843 Henry Cole, so the story goes, Whichever card came first, it is inter'­ was faced with the problem of catching up esting to observe the great similarity be­ on a lagging correspondence and his per­ tween the two. Their designs and spirit sonal calls. His solution was to s e nd a were apparently influenced by the same printed greeting card in the holiday spirit, things. Dickens' Christmas Carol was so he engaged a rising young artist named popular reading in England about this time , John Calcott Horsley to design the card. s tirring everyone w ith a new appreciation The cards were delivered by messenger to of the warmth, charity and spirit of Christ­ his friends. mas. Also, it was customary for English Cole's card seems more attractive than school boys at Christmas time to write Egley's since it has only three panels and expre ssions of good will to their t e achers also is hand colored. Again the words "To" and relatives to demonstrate their good pen­ and "From" appear for filling in. Leafy manship, art and composition. These cards tre llises, Germanesque style, ornament the were called "school pieces," and the boys panels. As a part of the cent er panel of decorated them lavishly with scrolls, curl­ both Cole 's and Egley's card is the simple i c u es , and pictures drawn in the borders caption that probably has become the most around the margin. famous greeting -- "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." n.~o ctoftlecC.•~ r~ 1o llQ. __• . ,__ _ ..... _,...._...... .._ ...... n.-- __.. .....,, ...........-....1o .._.~ . .!1 4 fore, it wasn't until 187 5 that cards were COMMERCIAL BEGINNINGS __ produced in Am erica. In 1846, a thousand copies of Cole ­ . Louis Prang, a Boston lithographer , Horsley's card were lithographed, hand 1s widely regarded as the real father of the colored and sold by Felix Summerly's Treas­ greeting card industry in the United States . ure House in Bond Street, an art shop which Prang was an immigrant who arrived here Cole had set up. penniless from Germany in 1850. After working for several years as a wood en­ Much controversy arose over this card, graver he opened his own lithographic shop. its detractors claiming the central panel showing a large Victorian family toasting Prang knew that commercial cards had absent friends was an incentive to drunk­ been exchanged in England since the 1840's . e nness. However, the two outer panels In the middle '70's he began his card ven­ depict two of the oldest traditions of Christ­ ture in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His entire mas, feeding the hungry and clothing the output was sold in England. About 187 7 the poor. This helped offset the storm of crit­ English company to which Prang's cards were i c ism. sold put on an advertising campaign in this country to interest Americans in Christmas Although individuals designed and gave greeting cards. Not until then did Prang greeting cards in the first half of the 1800's awake to the fact that he had overlooked the and Christmas was noted on them particu­ home field. larly by the 1840's, it wasn't until the latter half of the century that the custom of send­ Noting that the idea of sending printed i ng such cards obtained a real foothold. Christmas greetings was well received here, Prang set aside his successful business Joseph Crandall, another London artist selling visiting cards, business adver­ is credited with being the first to s hoV:, tisements and announcements both here and Christmas cards on a commercial basis. in England to concentrate on the new Yule These cards were lithographed and colored cards. by hand. They were the size of the usual lady's visiting card, probably because it Prang was a patien~, gifted craftsman, w as the custom to make Christmas calls and and although he perfected a process of re­ l e ave a personal calling card. production that led to inexpensive mass production, he was determined not to let The Christmas card, like everything quantity debase art. Beginning in 1880 he else , has had a history of change andre­ organized a series of competitions whose vival. The sending of a Christmas card with generous prizes attracted the best art and a message of affection and cheer did not design talent of the country. One of the become a common practice until 1862. Be­ art events of the year was a Christmas fore this they were far too expensive for the card exhibition arranged by Prang, shown general public. The early jeweled and in the American Art Galleries. frosted cards resembled Valentines more than they do our modem styles. Neverthe­ less their novelty and gaiety attracted in­ terest in them to the point where they w ere often reviewed in the newspapers. CHRISTMAS CARDS COME TO AMERICA ___ A backward glance at Christmas cards in America reveals that the first cards used here were imported from England. While the custom of sending cards had been practiced here to some extent since the 1860's or b e - 5 About 1895 Prang discontinued his greet­ ing card business. The influx of inferior cards from European publishers proved to b e overwhelming competition. He refused to lower his standards of quality in work­ manship and design so there fo llowe d a decline in the making of greeting cards in England and the United States.

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