The History of the Christmas Card

The Christmas card, as we know , was born in England in 1843. An artist named John Calcott Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a businessman from London rich and prosperous , to create a map you can send to your friends and clients to wish them a merry Christmas .

Sir Henry Cole was well known in his time for a number of reasons. He had a hand in helping to modernize the British postal system. He played a leading role in the creation of the Royal Albert Hall,, and acted as construction manager of this huge project . He also arranged for the Universal Exhibition of 1851, and oversaw the opening of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

One of the greatest aspirations of Sir Henry Cole in life was to beautify the world around him. He owned and operated a wonderful art shop on Bond Street, which specializes in decorative items for the home. your store was very popular with the British upper class, and won a good amount of your business.

Christmas card he commissioned was formed in the form of a triptych , a three-panel design that allows the two outer panels to be folded in the middle. Each of the two side panels represents a good deed. The first showed a picture of clothes for the poor, and the other side panel showed an image of the people who feed the hungry. The centerpiece is an image of a wealthy family to take a toast and surrounded by a huge party .

The inscription inside the card reads "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you . " The thousand printed by Sir Henry Cole cards, only twelve exist today in private collections . the printed card has become very popular in England during the years that followed. It has also become very popular in Germany . It took a long time for the idea to catch on in America, then popularized by a German expatriate named Louis Prang in 1875. Today, more than 2 billion Christmas cards are exchanged each year. Merry Christmas to all !