Page 14 - Oundle Life December 2020
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The first Christmas card designed by John Horsley
Christmas Cards in
THE OUNDLE MUSEUM
Like many of our British Christmas traditions, the sending of cards dates from the Victorian period. Sir Henry Cole was a senior civil servant who had helped set up the ‘Public Record Office’ now called the Post Office,
and he commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in 1843. About 1,000 cards were printed and sold and they are now very
rare. If anyone has a copy we would be very pleased to house it in the Museum!
Sir Henry had helped to introduce the first penny post in 1840, enabling more people to send letters. Up until this time only the rich could afford to send anything in the post. As printing methods improved the sending of Christmas cards became much more popular
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