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Which charity first produced a Christmas card?

Which charity first produced a Christmas card?

It became so popular that it soon spread across Europe. The first charity Christmas card was reportedly hand drawn by a 7 year old girl in 1949. Here at the Letter Press of Cirencester we support a number of charities but our preferred charity if the Xavier Project and to date we have raised over £6,000.

Who painted the first charity Christmas card?

John Callcott Horsley, (born January 29, 1817, London, England—died October 18, 1903, London), British narrative painter best known as the designer of the first Christmas card. Created in 1843 for Callcott’s friend Sir Henry Cole, an edition of 1,000 cards was placed on sale in London.

When was first Christmas card sent?

1843
Reproduction of the Christmas card designed by John Callcott Horsley for Henry Cole in 1843. This is recognised as the first Christmas card ever sent.

What did the first Christmas card say?

The card itself, as designed by John Callcott Horsley, consisted of three panels. A central panel showed the Cole family gathered around their Christmas feast raising their brim-full wine glasses to toast the health of the recipient. Beneath them was the message “A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU.”

Which organization created the first charity Christmas card 1949?

The first UNICEF Christmas Card from 1949 was painted by a seven-year-old Czech girl. The practice of sending cards became further entrenched in American culture when it was embraced as a charitable gesture.

Why were Victorian Christmas cards so weird?

Such novelty cards can be traced back to the Victorians, who “had a delightful childlike taste in what they considered artistic pleasures and enjoyments beneath the discipline in their daily lives”. Over the years, these designs ranged from humanised animals and birds, to scary, and even occasionally violent clowns.

Who started the tradition of Christmas cards?

Sir Henry Cole
Also on the manuscript were four poems and a song – so rather more than are on cards today! The custom of sending Christmas cards, as we know them today, was started in the UK in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole.

What is the oldest Christmas card?

In the collection of Hallmark Cards, Inc. of Kansas City, Missouri, is another English card, long thought to be the oldest. It’s over 120 years old and was made at the suggestion of Sir Henry Cole. He asked an artist friend, John Callcott Horsley of the Royal Academy, to design the card.

Why was the Christmas card invented?

A man named John Calcott Horsley printed the first Christmas card for Sir Henry Cole, the friend who had given him the idea. Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy British businessman, wanted a card he could proudly send to friends and professional acquaintances to wish them a “Merry Christmas.”

Why do the greeting cards sold by UNICEF?

All funds raised through the sale of the cards go to help UNICEF in its mission to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.

Why is a dead bird on a Christmas card?

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.

Why did Victorians put dead birds on Christmas cards?

Some historians have suggested that the portrayal of dead animals on nineteenth century Christmas cards were meant to serve as a reminder of the poor and hungry during the holiday season. Stories of poor children freezing to death were common during the winter in Victorian England.