First Christmas Cards Created a Stir

The Christmas Card is a Victorian creation, but originally began as a kind of stationery. The first card appeared in 1847 and was produced by Sir Henry Cole who worked for the British Postal Service, and an artist he hired named John Horsley. Cole was too busy to write his own greetings, so he hired Horsley to design a card for him. This early card was a depiction of a Christmas scene framed in three panels. The center panel had a homey table scene: children, parents, and grandparents seated and some raising their glasses for a toast. On either side were panels depicting acts of Christmas charity: to the left, feeding the hungry; to the right, clothing the naked. Underneath appeared the now familiar phrase "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." One thousand of these cards were printed and could be mailed for a penny a piece. Before the use of pre-made cards, "Christmas Pieces" written often by school boys in England as greetings to their parents, partly as proof of their progress in the art of writing. 

	This is an example of the first Christmas card. This card created quite a stir because it depicted a family drinking wine surrounded by religious imagery. The controversy is believed to have helped sales of the cards.

In the U.S., postal changes spurred sales of Christmas cards. Until 1855, senders had the option of requiring the recipients to pay the postage on cards and letters, and most did. Also, except in a few of the larger cities, the recipient was required to go to the post office to pick up his or her mail. But in 1855, it became compulsory for the sender to pay the postage. In 1858, collection boxes began appearing in larger cities; therefore, the sender didn't have to go to the post office, and by 1890 most of the post offices had free city delivery. At the start of the 20th century, the post office began free rural delivery. All these items helped speed the growth in Christmas cards.

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