Christmas Cards

 

Ok let's talk about Christmas Cards, they were a Victorian idea coming from sentimental feels about children's Christmas coloured drawings.

The first Christmas cards came about around the 1870's I don't know for sure I am not that old. The first cards most like would have been chromolithographed cards, with designs featuring Santa Claus, Christmas Bells, or Narrative scenes of snow clad festivities.

However, by the mid to late 1870's people wanted more appropriate cards for overseas mail. This challenged was taken up by the other side of the world with foreign companies producing cards of Australian character, however they bore little resemblance to the country.

In the early 1880's this started to change when a fella named John Sands of Sydney had a competition in which designs thoroughly Aussie would be considered for a prize 50 pounds. He received 700 entries from armatures and professionals with all works being placed on display attracting long queues.

In 1881 or 1882 the first Australian designed cards rolled of the presses These cards featured things like kangaroos, koalas and emus, as well as indigenous flowers and foliage.

This custom brought undeniable social benefits by strengthening family ties and friendships.