When was the first greeting card

There were several reasons for this. First was the introduction of a widespread postal service. Some form of mail delivery has been available throughout history.

However, the implementation of a formal system accessible to everyone did not happen until much later. In Canada, an extensive mail delivery system started in , pre-dating confederation by more than a century. By the mids, mail delivery improved again with the introduction of postage stamps that people across Britain, Europe and North America began using to send greeting cards.

Secondly, handmade cards became commercially available. People now had more opportunity to buy cards and these beautiful pieces of art became popular with those who could afford them.

As in earlier times, greeting cards continued to be exchanged primarily at Valentine's Day and Christmas and there are some individuals who stand out in this business. Esther Howland was an American artist and businesswoman credited with creating and selling some of the first Valentine's Day cards sold in the United States. While similar cards were already available in Europe and were imported to North America, Esther is credited with introducing a more affordable version. She is fondly referred to as The Mother of the American Valentine.

The very first commercial Christmas card was made in London, England in the Victorian era. It was made of stiff cardboard with a lithograph design that was then hand-painted. In the centre of the card there is a family party happening and on side panels there are illustrations of the poor receiving donations of food and clothing.

This was the first depiction of the Christmas spirit in action. There were a thousand of these available to buy. Interestingly, this first Christmas card was produced in - the same year Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol. Dickens' tale became extremely popular. This fortunate coincidence in the release of Sir Henry Cole's card likely gave a boost to the early greeting card industry.

Another reason for the surge in the use of greeting cards was the perfection of the colour lithographic process.

Louis Prang, a German immigrant to the United States, introduced his process in the s and his Christmas cards then began selling in England and the United States.

By far the greatest influence on the greeting card industry was the Industrial Revolution and the mechanization of the printing press. The hand printing press had been used since the late 14 th century. Johannes Gutenberg, a German printer and publisher, mechanized the design of the hand press. This was a huge improvement on earlier production methods and led to the factory manufacturing of cards that could be produced incredibly quickly at a much lower cost.

In the Medieval period, in Europe, New Year also became a time for people to reflect and think about the year ahead. Worries about the harvest or coming year led people to write well wishes to each other. Sometimes this would be done in personalized wood carvings or what became common was using paper. By the 14th century in German states, personal greeting cards more similar to today had developed, which resemble our handmade cards that were written with short wishes for good fortune in the New Year.

In the 14th century, most greeting cards were the privilege of the upper class, as handmade cards were generally expensive. By the midth century, greeting cards had moved from mostly a New Year formality to something being exchanged in other periods.

One of the first periods used outside of New Year was in celebration of St. Despite this change, greeting cards were still considered too expensive and difficult for most people to have. However, greeting cards continued to be made, although the volume was generally low and sometimes they had small drawings as part of the card. The major change occurred in the late midth century, when at that time innovations in mechanized printing and mass production, along with better postal routes and cheaper postal rates, made sending greeting cards affordable.

It was at this time that greeting cards became popular for many occasions. Greeting cards also become more decorative, with scenes and art now more commonly added. One of the first greeting cards in this new period was for Christmas, when Sir Henry Cole, in , hired the designer John Calcott Horsley to create the first personalized Christmas cards that were also decorated for the season Figure 3. These cards were then posted by Cole to his friends as a greeting for the Christmas period.

By the s, several companies began to develop mass-produced cards, with these cards mostly focusing on Christmas and New Year. Valentine's Day was also popular for those sending well wishes to their loved ones. With mass production and lower prices, greeting cards soon became popular as part of the wider Christmas and holiday traditions.

These designs were used for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and also the company tried to extend the market by creating generic cards that could be used for other occasions such as birthdays.

Soon, greeting cards began to be commonly extended to all holidays and different occasions in the s and later, as low prices and easy reproduction made them popular as part of gifts sent to others. Greeting cards did not evolve a lot more during the late 19th century and early 20th century. The well-known company Hallmark Cards Inc. The company initially started out by selling postcards but by began to focus on writing letters and cards.

In , the company even developed what would become gift wrapping paper. In the US, Hallmark soon began to dominate the market by the s. With the introduction of better color printing and color lithography in the s, greeting cards experienced a renewal of even greater interest by the public.

The Hall Brothers company which, a decade later, change its name to Hallmark , soon adapted a new format for the cards—4 inches wide, 6 inches high, folded once, and inserted in an envelope. As hunger for cards grew, Hallmark and its competitors reached out for new ideas to sell them.

Commissioning famous artists to design them was one way: Hence, the creation of cards by Salvador Dali, Grandma Moses and Norman Rockwell, who designed a series of Christmas cards for Hallmark the Rockwell cards are still reprinted every few years.

The most popular Christmas card of all time, however, is a simple one. The third peers out from the card with big, baby blue eyes, her halo slightly askew.

The introduction, 53 years ago, of the first Christmas stamp by the U. Post Office perhaps speaks even more powerfully to the popularity of the Christmas card. Hence, the first printing of the new Christmas stamps came in sheets of The second printing was in sheets of Although they are not rare, Piazza adds, the second printing-sheets of these stamps are collectibles today.

Still, thanks to the round the clock efforts by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, a total of one billion copies of the Christmas stamp were printed and distributed by the end of the year. Today, much of the innovation in Christmas cards is found in smaller, niche publishers whose work is found in gift shops and paper stores.