A short history of the birthday card – Deltiology, or the collecting of postcards, including many “specialties, including holiday greetings and birthday cards.
A short history of the birthday card – Sending a birthday card is an act of communication. As families grew and moved on, sometimes across oceans or continents where travel was lengthy and cumbersome, they provided a connection to family. When receiving a card from a family member, it shows that they still remember your birthday and despite you not being 5 years old anymore, you still mean a lot to them. Keeping in contact with them is undeniably important and a birthday card is one of the ways to retain the bond. These two card show a single image one simply embossed and one embossed and gilded.
Often greeting card publishers would employ artists and designers and then stretch their value by using the same design on cards for Christmas, New Year, Easter, birthday and “all occasion” cards. These cards were originally from the Beck Collection.
The birthday card enables the sender to record a short, hand-written, personal message which carries greater emotional impact than a purely printed communication. It is an inexpensive demonstration of thoughtfulness, which gives pleasure to the sender and receiver.
According to Greeting Cards – History, Origins & Uses, the mass-produced birthday card as we know it today, first made its appearance in mid-19th century Britain, shortly after the production of the first Christmas cards.
As written in the encyclopedia Celebrating Life Customs Around the World, birthday cards are the “most popular greeting card to send and account for around 60 percent of all greeting cards bought.”
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