Nothing says you care more during this season than spreading your love and thoughts via a Deco Christmas card. But first, a brief history.
Sir Henry Cole, a civil servant in the United Kingdom in 1843 helped set-up the new ‘Public Record Office’ (now called the Post Office). The concept of the Christmas card was a bid on how to get this new service used more by ordinary people.
His first card was a collaboration between he and his artist friend, John Horsley. Their creation was a tri-panel card that sold for 1 shilling (about 8 cents) and was met with mixed reviews. The outer panels featured people caring for the poor. The central picture depicted a family having a Christmas feast. What was so controversial? The center panel featured children drinking wine!
Although started in 1840, only very rich people could afford to send anything in the post. Because the new railways being built, could carry much more post and could go faster than the horse and carriage, the introduction of the new “Penny Stamp” made sending mail affordable to the masses. Cards became even more popular in the UK when they could be posted in an unsealed envelope for half the price of an ordinary letter.