It dates back to 1843 and was the brainchild of British businessman Sir Henry Cole. But there is something about her that is unacceptable in modern times.
The illustration was done by cartoonist John Calbott and 2,050 copies were printed. All were sold at the price of one shilling per piece.
The naive congratulation would cause notable commotion in the present time, as it shows a mother giving a glass of wine for her young son to drink. Those were different times.
A prominent educator and patron of the arts, Henry Cole traveled in the elite social circles of Victorian England and had the misfortune to have many friends.
During the Christmas season of 1843, these friends were causing Cole a lot of anxiety.
The idea came to streamline Christmas responses
Sir Cole, founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, was enthusiastic about the new postal system in England, but its success made it impossible to answer every Christmas greeting letter that arrived, and in Victorian England it was considered bad. education does not respond to the mail”.
Cole took the illustration of Horsley, a triptych that shows a family celebrating the holiday at the table, flanked by images of people helping the poor, and asked a London printer to make 1,000 copies. The image was printed on a 5 1/8 x 3 1/4 inch piece of rigid cardboard. At the top of each was the “TO: _____” greeting, allowing Cole to customize his responses, which included the generic “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you” greeting.
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