Greeting cards can date back to ancient Chinese tradition of sending greeting cards to celebrate the new year and Egyptians sending greetings on papyrus scrolls. By the 1940s European were exchanging hand made greeting cards.
The German woodcut greeting cards date back to the 1940s.
Though greeting cards can boast origins that go back at least two centuries, it wasn’t until 1840 when the first postage stamp was issued, that some clever and farseeing printers decided to hire artists and perfect printing methods to create and design greeting cards for the masses. The most prolific time for greeting cards was during the Victorian Age.
In the early part of the 1800s, greeting cards were a luxury only those with wealth and means could afford to send to family and friends. Before the debut of the postage stamp, greeting cards were hand delivered and they could be quite costly. Affordable cards became available to the general public by the 1850s like your holiday and New Years cards and thus a booming industry was born.
Oldest Known Card Was The Valentine Card
The oldest greeting card known was the Valentine card. Valentines were popular as long ago as the Middle Ages when young swains sang their hearts to their beloved. Valentines that were written didn’t appear until after the year 1400. In England, paper valentines that were handmade were all the rage. Valentines began to be commercially manufactured in the middle of the 19th century.The British Museum can boast a Valentine that was made during the 15th century. It is thought to be the oldest greeting card that can be located.
Christmas Greeting Card
The oldest known Christmas card dates back to 1843 in England. The first greeting card was said to be the Christmas card produced by John Calcott Horsley for Sir Henry Cole.Vintage Greeting Card For War Soldiers
First American Greeting Card
Louis Prang who was a German lithographer was known to be the first person to create the American greeting card in 1850. Mr. Prang was the first to make colored cards.
The Two Largest Greeting Card Companies in America
Hallmark Cards and American Greetings
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Greetings card are a way to express human well wishes and sentiments and emotions. The beginning of sending of greetings card in ancient times can be attributed to the Chinese before the fifteenth century.
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