Early English photo Christmas cards rarely showed winter or religious themes. Instead, these photo Christmas cards favored flowers, fairies and other fanciful designs that reminded the recipient of the approach of the next season: spring. Humorous and sweet images of children and animals were also popular, as were increasingly elaborate shapes, decorations and materials. In 1875 Louis Prang became the first printer to offer photo Christmas cards in the United States, though unfortunately the extreme popularity of his photo Christmas cards led to cheap imitations that eventually drove him from the market of photo Christmas cards. The invention of the postcard spelled the sad end for elaborate Victorian-style cards, but by the 1920s, photo Christmas cards with envelopes had returned with gusto.
Numerous photo Christmas cards continued to evolve throughout the twentieth century with varying tastes, ideas and even printing styles and techniques. The World Wars, especially World War I, brought photo Christmas cards with patriotic themes. Idiosyncratic "studio cards" and other photo Christmas cards with cartoon illustrations and sometimes risqué humor caught on in the 1950s. Nostalgic, sentimental, and religious images are once again popular, and reproductions of Victorian and Edwardian cards are easy to obtain.
"Official" Christmas cards and photo Christmas cards began with Queen Victoria in the mid 1840s. The British royal family's cards are generally portraits reflecting significant personal events of that particular year. In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first official White House card. The photo Christmas cards usually depict White House scenes as rendered by prominent American artists. The number of recipients has snowballed over the decades, from just 2000 in 1961 to 1.4 million in 2005.
Modern Christmas cards and photo Christmas cards can be bought individually but are usually sold in packs of the same or varied designs. A revival of interest in paper crafting, particularly scrap booking, has raised the status of the homemade card and made available an array of tools for stamping, punching and cutting. Advances in digital photography and printing have provided a more technological way to personalize cards with photos, messages, or clip art.
Technology may also be responsible for the decline of photo Christmas cards. The estimated number of photo Christmas cards received by American households dropped from 29 in 1987 to 20 in 2004. Email and telephones and cell phones and the easy availability of text messages allow for more frequent contact and are easier for generations raised without handwritten letters - especially given the availability of websites offering free email Christmas cards. Nonetheless, with 1.9 billion cards sent in the U.S. in 2005 alone, they are unlikely to disappear any time soon. The sending and receiving of photo Christmas cards is an ingrained tradition that will never fully disappear.
From the beginning, Christmas cards have been avidly collected. Queen Mary amassed a large collection that is now housed in the British Museum. Specimens from the "golden age" of printing (1840s-1890s) are especially prized and bring in large sums at auctions. In December 2005, one of Horsley's original cards sold for nearly £9000. Collectors may focus on particular images like Santa Claus, poets, or printing techniques.
Choosing printed photo Christmas cards does not have to send you into a nervous fit. Picking printed photo Christmas cards is all about choosing photos that appeal to you and reflect your thoughts on the Christmas season. Photo Holiday Cards
Hallmark studies have shown that digital photo Christmas cards are just as popular as ever!
Another inspirational place to check for custom photo Christmas cards would be the websites and portfolios of artists. They may have truly unique creations that you haven't seen before!
Multiple Christmas cards are a great tool in contact your business associates and clients. They are also great marketing tools.
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