Origin of Christmas Cards.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 11, 13 March 1902, Page 29

Origin of Christmas Cards.

THE origin of the Christmas card dates back to 1854. The first Christmas card ever published was issued in that' year by a London publisher named Joseph Crundell, who was indebted for the idea to Sir Henry Cole, and who employed the then famous J. C. Horsley. R.A., to make the design. It was lithographed and colored by hand. About 1000 copies were sold. Such were the small beginnings of a now gigantic trade. Every Christmas after that cards of the same sort were put upon the market But it was not until 1862 that they caino into general favor. Then experiments were made by the firm of .Goodall and Son with cards of the size of an ordinary carte-de-visit, inscribed simply with the words, ' A Merry Christmas and A Happy Now Year,' in illuminated form. Next year some bright genius conceived the idea of adding robins and holly branches, embossed figures and landscapes. With every succeeding year the holiday cards grew in public favor, until in I'B6B the same house added other embellishments such as ' Little Red Riding Hood in the Snow, 1 and other subjects which could be introduced with a lavish display of red and white.