THE FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD 1843

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Hi all -

I just posted this image on another thread, but thought it was too good not to share with others to enjoy. And since the "What Is It?" forum is the most popular and most viewed, I decided to post it here as well.

It's the first commercial Christmas card from England, and was printed in 1843 by John Calcott Horsley

The most interesting part is the woman giving a little girl a sip of wine from her glass.

(It almost looks like the girl is "chugging" it! And if you zoom to the far end of the table you'll see another child doing the same thing!)

Now we know why they were so "Merry"

An original of this card is considered extremely rare, (only 1000 printed), but copies of a facsimile reprint issued in 1955 may still be found with relative ease today.



Merry Christmas to all from SODABOTTLEBOB and Family.

 

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[Blacksheep]

Neat card, thank you for sharing this.

 

[vayank54]

Very cool
While I don't collect old cards I've always like to look at them and thought they are interesting
Thanks for posting this and I hope you have a great Christmas

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Here's a link for those who would like to read more about the card.

In 2001 an original 1843 Horsley Christmas card sold at auction for $40,000.00!

( Supposedly there are less than a dozen of the originals known to exist! )


http://smu.edu/smunews/christmascard/default.asp




MERRY CHRISTMAS

From:

SODA"SANTA"BOB

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

We're just about ready to open our Christmas gifts here in California, but before we do I wanted to share this next entry with those of us interested in the first "American" commercial Christmas cards. Read below for the whole story!

SDBB

It was a young immigrant from Breslau in Silesia, now Poland, who introduced the Christmas card to America. Louis Prang (1824-1909) , an apprentice printer, would never have come to Boston if he had not been in hot water with Prussian authorities for his activities during the 1848 uprisings.
Prang prospered in America, mastering the latest techniques in lithography. He also demonstrated a knack for for the new thing in business - not following it, but creating it. L. Prang & Company made battle maps during the Civil War, persuading newspapers to distribute them like modern advertising circulars.
After visiting England where there was already a profitable market in Christmas greeting cards, Prang decided he could do the same in the United States and introduced his line in 1874. A perfectionist, Prang detested his imitators as much for the poor quality of their cards as for the competition.
Before long, the Christmas card came to seem as though it had always existed, given and admired almost everywhere, without regard to the religious origins of the holdiay.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Rather than get carried away and start a new topic, I thought I would just add this here for those of you who have already tapped in to the 1843 Christmas card, and would like to see another old card - this time from 1910 - exactly 100 years ago this week.

Happy New Year's to all from SODABOTTLEBOB



P.S. If anyone happens to come across a website link or a source for the 1955 "Reproduction" of the 1843 Horsley Christmas card, please post it here or send me a personal message. I'm trying to find one to purchase, but as yet have been unable to. I can't afford an original card at $40,000.00!

Thanks.

SDBB

 

[Woodland Detectors]

That's just splendid...Indeed

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

This card was just too cool to pass up!

No date was associated with it, but appears to be from the "teens" or 1920's

Happy New Year to all!

From:

My Family to your's ...

SODABOB

 

[galaxion]

very nice indeed