Back in the day, before camera phones and digital uploading made it easy to produce photo cards of happy family moments, people devised very creative ways to send holiday greetings through the mail.
There are a million ways to say 'Happy Holidays' with a card. The imagery and design of the card often conveyed something about the sender's thoughts and beliefs surrounding the season. Some shared cards from their favorite charity. Some imparted a message of faith. No surprise, I enjoyed the humorous cards best. And the whimsical folk designs too. My husband preferred nature scenes. The kids loved anything with glitter. Some cards were so beautiful I cannibalized them the following Christmas, cutting them up into gift tags.
This week's listicle is about that old fashioned tradition of social correspondence: the Christmas card. The vintage linen screen-printed card by Robert Darr Wert, above, is new in the shop. I never saw a linen Christmas card before. It would be so pretty in a frame.
Maybe you can't screenprint your own linen but you can craft your own card like these famous artists did. Which one do you like? I like the typewriter one.
These embroidered cards sent by families to soldiers at the front during WWI are heartbreaking.
If you're like me, you prefer your Christmas cards funny and well designed. These are nice.
These are just plain bizarre. Vintage doesn't always mean 'good'.
Corporate Christmas cards are nothing new. Back in the 1950s, Ford Motor Company commissioned artist Charley Harper to design a card. I love these!
The Guardian has conducted ongoing investigations into charities that sell cards to further its mission. Most charities get 10% of the purchase price. However, Sreepur Cards gives 100% of the purchase price to the women and children of Bangladesh it seeks to support. This earned the organization kudos and publicity from The Guardian. The story went viral, the online shoppers came, and Sreepur Cards ran out of cards. But you can get on a list for 2016!
Need a compromise? Take a 20th century design and send it as an e-card. Alexander Girard has been dead for over twenty years but his folk-art designs are enjoying a rebirth of popularity. Here's his Christmas card available through Paperless Post.
Lastly, here's a book about the history of Christmas cards in America. Amazon gives it five stars and it might make a great gift for graphic designers who are also history buffs.
Do you find the internet overwhelming? Would you like a guide who can steer you towards a list of select awesomeness? Subscribe to my Monday listicles and you'll get a short curated selection of links that are loosely related to something vintage in my shop. Easy peasy.