Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Nostalgia: Vintage Christmas Card Countdown, No. 3 Best Wishes for Christmas


Vintage Christmas Card No. 3, Best Wishes for Christmas

This little red card has a lot of charm and just as much mystery.  I found it in my favorite antique shop in Concord, Massachusetts, and loved the red paper, the petite size (it is 2.5" x 5"), green ribbon and the pastoral image.  While the colors and verse are holiday related, the images of the blind embossed boat scene and summer landscape are quite a misfit for the season.

  

One of the challenges of vintage Christmas Cards is that unlike postcards which usually have a date in the postmark, cards over time (or immediately) are separated from their envelopes.  Based on the style of the ribbon tie and assembly, I can roughly date it to 1900.  This is why I get excited when I see a card, like yesterday's, where the author notes the date in their greeting.


The verse in gold font reads:

My Greeting

Through the hours whose
gladness never wavers,
May Father Christmas 
never tire,
Conferring you his 
fairest favors,
And granting you
your heart's desire.

While we don't know who the card is intended for, or if it was even given, we do know that it was from Winnie who marked her Christmas Card with her name using a fine point nib and running a little low on ink.




No comments:

Post a Comment