COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 41, NO. 51 FRIDAY DECEMBER 24, 2010
Medieval And Early Tudor Themed Victorian Christmas Cards
Victorians knew in their history hristmas always that late medieval and early Tudor evoked nostalgia for how people celebrated the holiday in times past. Victorians, too, attempted to grasp onto romanticized notions of Christmas during their own medieval and early Tudor past by glorifying such subjects on their Christmas cards. After the making of the first Victorian Christmas card (1843), it took Victorians many decades to perfect the art of creating Parallelogram-shaped Christmas card, early Tudor m a s s - p r o d u c e d boy catching butterflies with net, circa late 1870s color chromolitho- early 1880s. graph cards and adopting the social practice of Christmas festivals involved deckexchanging them beyond the small ing the halls with holly, ivy and circle of family and close friends candles but also experiencing four who exchanged cards during the weeks of dietary restrictions 1860s. Glorifying medieval before Christmas (eating soup, themes is hardly surprising as stews and fish but no roasts, pies, Victorians already experienced the desserts or sauces) ending with a depiction of Arthurian legends and fast on Christmas Eve. Christmas medieval subjects through Pre- dinner and the twelve nights of feasting and festivities that followed were a welcome relief. Wassail bowls or cups (popular during the 14th century and referred to in Tudor times) would be passed around where one
Dreams of medieval and early Tudor Christmas celebrations in their own past
medieval missals and illuminated manuscripts. Another card featured a minstrel, lute and illustrated Christmas songs. Kate Greenaway’s series for Ward of
allegorical design theme. Henry Stacy Marks (Royal Academy) designed four medieval-styled Christmas cards for Ward in 1873 (reproduced in 1874) involving pigs for Christmas dinner, a couple purchasing a turkey, men given hospitality at a great house, and a family procession over a bridge. Other makers illustrated similar designs from the late 1870s to the early 1880s. De La Rue & Company, London (made cards 18761885) fashioned a popular set of Christmas/New Year greetings illustrating medieval men, a minstrel and drinking (1420s attire, Series 206). Hildesheimer & Faulkner, (cards dating 1877-1890s) had competitions for the new card designs Fold out floral card, medieval illuminated manuscript style, published by Marcus Ward, (1881 and 1882) resulting in E. Blair circa late 1870s - early 1880s. Leighton’s prize could mirror some of the pleas- “Robin Hood and the Blackbird, a design of an early Tudor woman in antries and bounty offered then as Tale of Christmas Dinner” is a set a snowy courtyard (75 pound prize part of their own Christmas cele- of four cards illustrating Robin, in 1881). bration. Dreaming of bountiful Maid Marian, a chef and two Anonymous makers also fashChristmas dinners from olden- merry men shooting a blackbird, ioned cards of similar natures. One times would have been a pleasant marching it home to the tune of a illustrated Anne Page, a late Tudor and comforting image to the fife, being served the bird at a character from Shakespeare’s Victorians. Victorian medieval and table and then dancing. Other sim- Merry Wives of Windsor who calls early Tudor themed Christmas ilar Christmas cards by the firm guests to dine. Another set of parinclude six of “Father Christmas allelogram-shaped cards depicts a and His Little Friends” showing Tudor boy catching a butterfly scenes of Father Christmas enter- with a net and a companion in the ing a house, distributing presents set illustrates a medieval girl in a to children, allowing them to pelt steeple hat carrying a peacock him with snowballs, carrying the feather fan (Aesthetic movement Christmas pudding in procession influence) watching birds. Still with the family, playing blind another set features early Tudor man’s bluff, then bidding farewell servant girls carrying a wassail to the family. Ward’s series bowl, Christmas pudding and “Christmas Dreams” had a gold fruits. One maker fashioned a border background showing the beautiful set with gold background stages of a man’s life using an and dark border (Aesthetic design influence circa late 1870s - early 1880s) of four cards of a woman and boy or cupid in early Tudor attire carrying flagons of drink, books, wool for spinning, flowers Early Tudor-themed Christmas card, gold background, woman holding wool, boy reading a book, and fruit. Another circa late 1870s - early 1880s. card (1880s) featured medieval Raphaelite paintings. During the drank and cried statues of a 1870s and 1880s, medieval and “Wassail” or woman falconer early Tudor-themed Christmas “Your Health” in and a male hunter cards became quite popular. Some Old English and blowing a hunting designs even appear in the 1890s. answered with horn flanking Collectors can identify these cards “Drinkhail”...the Gothic stone tracfrom early Tudor fashions and cup or bowl con- Early Tudor-themed Christmas card, gold background, ery and flowers. headwear such as steeple hats tinued to be woman and boy picking cherries, circa late 1870s - early Collectors can (1460-1480), turban hats with long passed with a 1880s. appreciate the tails (15th century), Tudor sleeves kiss. Food, drink wonderful designs with elbow ruffles (1525-1530), and hospitality appealed to cards illustrated individuals seekand nostalgic feelempire waists (1520s), mid-Tudor Victorians as many did without ing out the food to cook, serving or ing of these unique headgear and Tudor slashed during the harsh 19th century. consuming the food and drink. Christmas cards, sleeves (1530s). Many Victorians faced less than Marcus Ward of Belfast, which Victorians Dreaming back to Christmas in prosperous circumstances, as there London, and New York, made used to reminisce pre-Reformation England, were urban and rural poor. some of the finest Christmas cards about their own Victorians romanticized notions of Ushering in a whirlwind of good of this genre from 1875-1885. His h i s t o r i c a l the hospitality, plenitude, generos- cheer, cards illustrating medieval floral cards (1870s-1880s) illusChristmas. We can ity, good cheer and abundance of figures, food, drink and good trate various flowers including old-fashioned merriment and times reflected their hope that their violets (1878), a Christmas rose Early Tudor-themed Christmas card, gold background, (Continued on page 2) bountiful table offerings. celebration could be as fine. and fuchsia in the style of woman carrying a flagon and a drink, boy holding fruit, circa late 1870s - early 1880s. By Barbara Johnson, Ph.D.
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