Sir Henry Cole of London conceived the first Christmas card in 1843. Cole commissioned his friend, artist John Calcott Horsley, to design a holiday card that would replace his seasonal task of writing many letters. Horsley, a future member of the Royal Academy, illustrated a festive Victorian family flanked by charitable images of feeding and clothing the poor. He framed his design with twisted branches of wood and ivy, added 'A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year To You,' and included name spaces for the sender and recipient. An estimated one thousand copies of this 3' x 5' card were printed
Sir Henry Cole of London conceived the first Christmas card in 1843. Cole commissioned his friend, artist John Calcott Horsley, to design a holiday card that would replace his seasonal task of writing many letters. Horsley, a future member of the Royal Academy, illustrated a festive Victorian family flanked by charitable images of feeding and clothing the poor. He framed his design with twisted branches of wood and ivy, added 'A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year To You,' and included name spaces for the sender and recipient. An estimated one thousand copies of this 3' x 5' card were printed
Size: 5521px × 3799px
Location:
Photo credit: © World History Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1843., archival, archive, card, cardchristmasmessages, centuryfestivitiesfestivalschristmas, christmas, earliest, english, english19th, historical, history, printed
