In 1843, a winter year in England, history was written in a warm and festive atmosphere. It was a moment of cultural innovation and the result of the combination of traditional customs and modern printing technology – the world's first Christmas card was born.
This groundbreaking design and production was initiated by Sir Henry Cole and designed by artist John Callcott Horsley. Mr. Hasley's card depicts three generations of an aristomy celebrating Christmas with three generations of the family, full of family affection and festive cheer. An illustration in the center of the card shows a family delivering holiday greetings to friends and relatives from afar, an idea that not only reflects the value of family and friendship in society at the time, but also cleverly incorporates Christmas messages and blessings.
The first edition of the Christmas card was limited to 1,000 copies, each priced for one shilling at the time, and for the first time in history, a print item for Christmas greetings was mass-produced and sold. Although consumers at the time had different attitudes towards the new thing, its unique design concept and convenient way of communication gradually gained market recognition and quickly became popular in the following decades.
With the passage of time, the form of Christmas cards has become more and more diverse, and the content has expanded from the initial simple painting to include elements such as poems, proverbs, ** and personal signatures, becoming an important carrier for people to convey warmth and share joy with each other during Christmas. Its emergence not only greatly enriched people's festival activities, but also invisibly strengthened the ties and emotional ties between societies, promoted the development of the postal industry around the world, and laid a solid foundation for the later greeting card industry.
After more than a century of evolution, Christmas cards have become an indispensable part of Christmas around the world, which has witnessed the progress of human civilization and the development of social customs.