The sharp increase in the circulation of Christmas cards in the late nineteenth century reflected America’s growing wealth at that time. Cards began to take on the popular holiday images that we identify with today, like the jolly, rotund Santa Claus popularized in the 1880s by artist Thomas Nast.
Technology developed rapidly in the first few decades of the 1900s and various new inventions could be seen in card designs. One might have found artistic renderings of Santa talking on the telephone, broadcasting on the radio, or even giving his reindeer a break by delivering gifts on his biplane!
As to themes, images of sunny southern California with its orange groves and warm weather essentially mocked those in the East who were usually buried in snow during this time of year. There was also, however, the unfortunate continuation of racial stereotypes in Christmas cards that carried over from the previous century and remained common through the 1920s.
Another important change after 1900 was the popularity of Christmas postcards. These proved to be convenient and economical since envelopes were not needed and postage was cheaper for postcards at just one cent, versus cards with envelopes, which required an extra penny! At any rate, the postcard was the dominant way to send holiday greetings between 1900 and 1920.
The traditional Christmas card made a comeback during the 1920s. This may have been because of the decade’s economic boom or because Americans simply liked the “classier” card over the postcard. While Christmas card production continued to climb in later decades, especially after World War II, the sending of paper Christmas cards has dropped steadily in recent years. More people are sending e-cards that incorporate video, audio, photos, or other “action” technologies. There is also a growing environmental concern about the use of paper for cards (as well as for wrapping paper). One wonders if the Christmas card is slowly moving, like the dodo, towards extinction!
The cards shown in this slide show are examples dating from 1900 to 1930 and come from the Homestead Museum Collection.
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