Saturday 1 December 2012

Christmas Countdown!!!

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to this year's Christmas Countdown.

Actually, strictly speaking it is a count up! but that just sounds silly!!! Throughout December, up until Christmas I shall be posting little tit-bits for your delectation and delight, and hopefully spreading a little Christmas cheer along the way! Yes, my special Christmas Project at The Swan Inn does form part of the Christmas Countdown, so do keep a look out for future posts!

Christmas Post Number One


The Christmas Card

Small home made tokens of love had been sent at Christmas time for many years, but the first commercial Christmas card appeared in London in 1843. Sir Henry Cole is best known for his help in creating the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington after the Great Exhibition in 1851, however, he was a busy man long before this. In 1843 he felt he hadn't the time to write individual Christmas letters to his friends, and thought of having a Christmas greeting printed instead. He called on an artist friend of his, John Callcott Horsley, to create a suitable image to print with a simple Christmas greeting, which he would then be able to post.

The result can be seen above; a traditional British family enjoying a Christmas feast, and getting very 'merry' indeed in the central image, flanked on each side by ideals of charity, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.  1000 of these lithograph cards were printed, and each then hand tinted. The cards were put on sale in London at a price of one shilling each (which was quite a sum of money!).

The idea caught on and soon Christmas cards were being mass produced, and became much more affordable; this, along with a cheaper postal rate introduced in Victoria's reign meant that soon almost everyone was able to send a small Christmas greeting during the festive season.

The designs on Christmas cards soon became sentimentalised to suit Victorian taste and sensibilities.  Children and animals became very popular, along with religious images and depictions of Father Christmas.


I love this Victorian card above, which captures the Victorian sentimentality and feeling for charity at Christmas. The Kindly Robin, generously gives the Beggar Bird and his wife a red berry in the spirit of Christmas, while the Kindly Robin's wife looks on with 'charitable' concern.

22 comments:

  1. I recognize that anything I do not like Christmas, but these I am sure that I will like a lot. I love the story!

    A big hug!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pedrete,

      I LOVE Christmas, it is one of my favourite times of the year, but I know it doesn't appeal to all, I hope you enjoy my little Christmas posts all the same.

      hugs
      Andy xxx

      Delete
  2. great information on the history of Christmas cards, thanks Andy! What a lovely idea to have a Christmas Countdown. Sandie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Sandra, Welcome to my blog, thanks for all you nice comments.

      I hope you enjoy the countdown, it usually reminds me how little time I have left to get everything sorted for the big day!!!

      Andy x

      Delete
  3. The red breasted Robin is a Christian symbol. There are several variations on stories about it. You can find out more about that with a little research.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That Robin card is incredible!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rick, yes, I love the image, but it does also illustrate the Victorian's attitude to poverty, this was the age of 'deserving poor' and the Workhouse!

      Delete
  5. Hi Andy, thank you so much for sharing this information about the Christmas cards. On this way you're inspiring me.......to try to make a miniature robin out of clay ;)!!
    Have a nice weekend. Hugs, Ilona

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ilona, glad you enjoyed this post. Hope you enjoy the next 23!!

      Delete
    2. PS I hope the little robin model turns out well! ;O)

      Delete
  6. May it be a Christmas countdown or a countup... it's fun for sure, thank you very much for the effort you put in this. The background on the history of Christmas cards was very interesting. I too like that picture with the birds very much, robins are always nice christmas symbols - we have a real one who visits our garden every winter and I swear he's a smart little guy, especially when compared to the sparrows.

    Greetings
    Birgit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Birgit,

      I spend a small fortune feeding the birds in my garden, especially in winter! We usually get a robin or two, but they are quite territorial, and aggressive to other robins. It's going to be quite a tough winter for the birds this year, especially the blackbirds, as there are no apples at all left to eat in our garden this year, and we usually feed loads to them over winter.

      hugs
      Andy xxx

      Delete
  7. Love the cards AND the story!
    Hugs,
    Gee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gee,

      many thanks, glad you like them!! ;o)

      hugs
      Andy xxx

      Delete
  8. Hi Andy! I LOVE your countdown- or up! Either way it is so festive and informative!!! I have always had a "thing" for Christmas cards.... and started making them myself when I was a teenager! I draw (illustrate is perhaps a better term) one every year for my family and friends.... and it has become a sort of record of what happened in our family over the years! (I am just starting this year's card.... the 31st year in a row!!!)Thank you for the inspiring images!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Betsy, where do you find the time to draw your own cards!! I am sure your family will treasure them all! Pleased that you are enjoying the Christmas Countdown! No 2 just on the way!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Andy,

    better late than never, I'm going to have to keep on my toe's now!!

    Love the idea of Christmas greetings, this count down will be fun, I always wondered where the Christmas greeting card began and how typical that a busy person came up with the idea. The fact that giving to the poor was a big factor in the cards is a nice sentiment, it's a far cry from our Coca Cola Santa. Oops, here I go again about Santa, I really do love him in spite of my carry on!

    On to the next post.....; )

    Fi xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Fi, good to hear from you again. Ah, well in England we still (just about) have Father Christmas! he's much more jolly and traditional than Santa!! ;o) Father Christmas appeared on Victorian Christmas cars too, an wore several different coloured robes, green being very popular, but they did include red ones!!

      Delete
  11. I've been a bit slow on catching up here too - what a great idea for a post/posts.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Irene, hope you enjoy them!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello Andy,
    YAY! Christmas countdown! Those cards are beautiful! The artwork of the time really had a magic feel to it.
    Big hug,
    Giac

    ReplyDelete