Why were Victorian Christmas cards Creepy?

Why are Victorian Christmas cards so weird?

“Sentiments and designs that may seem unusual today were often considered signs of good fortune, while others poked fun at superstitions,” says Bradbeer. Folk customs influenced the design of many Victorian Christmas cards. In British folklore, for example, robins and wrens are considered sacred species.

Why did Victorians put dead birds on Christmas cards?

Though many cards seem to be capricious one-offs, a few themes did emerge. Dead birds in many of these cards are thought to either represent the plight of the poor—who were likely to die in the cold winter streets—or to be a more general symbol for the winter season.

What did the Victorians believe about Christmas?

The Victorians also transformed the idea of Christmas so that it became centred around the family. The preparation and eating of the feast, decorations and gift giving, entertainments and parlour games – all were essential to the celebration of the festival and were to be shared by the whole family.

What was controversial about the first Christmas card?

SOMEWHAT CONTROVERSIAL

However, those very first Christmas cards weren’t without controversy. The fact that the family were drinking wine was, so the advocates of temperance argued, promoting drunkenness.

What did Victorians put on their Christmas trees?

Christmas trees were traditionally decorated with dried fruit, candies in wrappers, cookies, nuts, and strands of popcorn or cranberries. Small home made gifts were also popular. Decorations of tin, leather or glass would become cherished heirlooms.

How much did it cost to send a Christmas card in the Victorian era?

Sir Henry had the idea of Christmas Cards with his friend John Horsley, who was an artist. They designed the first card and sold them for 1 shilling each. (That is only 5p or 8 cents today(!), but in those days it was worth much much more.) The card had three panels.

What was a Victorian Christmas dinner?

In northern England roast beef was the traditional fayre for Christmas dinner while in London and the south, goose was favourite. Many poor people made do with rabbit. On the other hand, the Christmas Day menu for Queen Victoria and family in 1840 included both beef and of course a royal roast swan or two.

Why were dead robins on Christmas cards?

Apparently, people back then associated dead birds, specifically robins and wrens, with good fortune. So sending someone a card depicting a dead, cute little songbird—or perhaps even an actual, tiny corpse—was a way of wishing them the best for the new year.

Why is the robin on Christmas cards?

If you have ever wondered why red robins are associated with Christmas, postmen in Victorian Britain were nicknamed “Robins” because of their red-breasted coloured uniforms. So the Robin on the Christmas card came to represent the postman who delivered the card yet there are links that pre date this explanation.

How did Victorians wrap Christmas presents?

But the Victorians also knew fun ways to wrap small gifts or give money as a gift: Victorian Christmas gifts were disguised as faux snowballs, Christmas crackers or even sausages!

What 2 Christmas traditions did the Victorians introduce?

What did Victorians call Christmas crackers?

The original crackers were love tokens, neither more nor less. They were simply bits of twisted and fringed colored tissue paper, with a sweet and a little verse inside, and they were called “Kisses.” The French were the first to have these, and called them “bon-bons,” but the fashion soon spread to England.

When were Xmas cards delivered in Victorian Times?

Queen Victoria sent the first official Christmas card, and Sir Henry Cole, who amongst other things was an assistant to Sir Rowland Hill in the introduction of the penny post and the first Director of the V&amp,A, commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in 1843. The initial print run was for 1000 cards.

How much did the first Victorian card cost?

Only 1,000 copies were printed and sold for a shilling apiece, and experts believe fewer than 30 have survived, he said. The card was designed by painter and illustrator John Callcott Horsley at the suggestion of Sir Henry Cole, a British civil servant and inventor who founded London’s Victoria &amp, Albert Museum.

Who invented Xmas?

The first recorded incidence of Christmas being celebrated actually dates all the way back to the Roman Empire in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine – so technically the Romans invented it, although there’s no specific person who is credited with having done so.