HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Holidays from The Vintage Showroom! 

These Victorian Christmas cards are more freaky than festive… It wasn’t always like that, the first Christmas card was sent in 1843, depicting a heartwarming family scene. But the novelty of sending heartwarming cards quickly wore off, and people started to get creative! Media attention played a part in the popularity of these macabre cards, with some newspapers running reviews of each season’s designs, meaning the designers were competing to create the most unusual imagery. 

The dead robin seems a bit grinchy, but for people of the Victorian era, it was intended to bestow good fortune – on ‘Wren Day’ (a.k.a Boxing Day), people would kill a small bird, such as a robin, for good luck. Frogs also cropped up in Christmas and New Year’s cards, as they signified rebirth, and strangely, ‘sinfulness and debauchery’, perfect for party season perhaps.

Have a happy festive period, and whatever you do, please don’t hurt any robins in the hopes of good fortune. 

See you in 2024!