Page 27 - Oundle Life December 2024

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 and the cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. In 1870 the cost of sending a
These two examples are from the 1940’s
post card and also Christmas cards dropped to half a penny and this meant even more people could send cards through the post.
The first Christmas card designed by John Horsley
FEELING
FESTIVE
Oundle Museum
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