The First Christmas Card

LONDON 1843... John Callcott Horsley (born 1817-- died 1903) designed the very first Christmas and New Year's card at the request of his friend Sir Henry Cole who was the first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.  In 1843 an edition of 1,000 of these Christmas cards was printed and placed on sale. The cards were lithographed on stiff cardboard 5 1/2 by 3 1/4 inches in dark sepia and then carefully hand colored. They sold for one shilling each.

Louis Prang Christmas Card

BOSTON, MASS. 1875... Louis Prang began publishing cards and earned the title "Father of the American Christmas card" He printed his cards in no less than eight and sometimes as many as thirty-two colors to achieve the "perfection of color" he sought. 

Louis Prang

A Christmas Card from the White House

How exciting it would be to receive a Christmas card from the White House.  President Eisenhower was the first to send them and it has been a tradition ever since. This card was commissioned by President and Laura Bush in 2006 and is a depiction of the Red Room in the White House.